Am I too Late to Save You?
by stephfarrow94
Summary: Tōshirō and Jūshirō are brothers. For his entire life, Tōshirō was abused and hated by his parents and the only love he recieved was from Jūshirō and his small group of school friends. When Jūshirō moves overseas to study medicine, Tōshirō is abused worse, but after their father tries to kill Tōshirō, he must come back and rehabilitate his traumatised brother. OOC abuse non-con AU
1. Chapter 1

**A/N **One thing I forgot to mention when I had sent this to my friend for beta'ing is that even though I've put them as brothers, they're only half-brothers. You'll find out what I mean later on.

When Jūshirō had told his brother that he was moving overseas for a few years in order to study medicine, Tōshirō became hysterical. The reason for this wasn't solely because he loved his brother, but because he was about to lose the only love and support he had in his life.

Jūshirō knew that despite the way the younger was clinging to him, he was unable to stay; this was something he had to do in order to ensure his brother's safety. He had already mapped his entire future out when he was but fourteen years old. He wanted to become a doctor, knowing that if he was able to become one, he would be able to take his brother away from the only thing the younger knew; abuse.

"Don't cry, Tōshirō," Jūshirō mumbled as he ran his hand through the younger's spiky hair. "It'll be alright. You've got to be strong."

"I don't want you to leave...!" Tōshirō hiccupped as he tightened his grip on the elder's sleeve. "Please, don't leave...!"

"Tōshirō..." Jūshirō glanced at his bedroom door, ensuring that it was locked before he continued speaking. "...Tōshirō, you have to understand that as hard as this will be for _both _of us, it's something I really have to do."

"Why can't you just stay here and study?" Tōshirō sniffed as he lifted his head to face the long-haired male. "There's plenty of places you can go to, and you can still come back..."

"The best option for me is to go overseas, okay?" Jūshirō whispered. "I'll be back before you know it. You should get ready for school." Tōshirō

Tōshirō shook his head. "I... I don't want to go to school...!"

"You have to go." Jūshirō grabbed Tōshirō's cheeks and looked the younger in the eye. "You know the consequences for not going to school."

"I..." A fresh tear slipped down Tōshirō's cheek at these words. "...I want to at least see you off..."

"Tōshirō, it's best for you to go straight to school."

"I know, but –" Tōshirō was cut off by a loud rapping at the door.

"Are you ready, Jūshirō?" Their father called. "Hurry up. I want to go soon."

Jūshirō sighed and sat his brother on the bed. "Just get ready for school, Tōshirō. You know you'll regret it if you don't."

Tōshirō wiped at his eyes as he nodded. "O-okay..."

Jūshirō pulled the younger into a tight hug before he kissed the boy's temple. "I'll be back before you know it... Stay strong."

Twelve-year-old Hitsugaya Tōshirō could only watch as Ukitake Jūshirō walked out of the bedroom. He knew that without his older brother there to protect him from his parents, his life had just become worse than it had ever been.


	2. Chapter 2

**A/N The Gotei 13 will be in this story, but they'll be showing up at different times. For now, I've left Tōshirō to be with Ichigo and his group (plus Matsumoto) during school. Hinamori will show up later on.**

**Also, I'm aware that Tuberculosis IS contagious, whereas the non-contagious TB shows no symptoms, so I am changing it so that TB is not contagious because I couldn't really find any other disease apart from chronic pneumonia or bronchitis that seemed to fit. So please don't point that out :)**

School had been next to impossible that day for Tōshirō. All he could think about was that his brother was gone. He had been told countless times by his teachers to focus on his work, but he couldn't. He was already struggling enough to try and contain his emotions, and the stress of school wasn't helping.

"You okay, Tōshirō?" Kurosaki Ichigo leant over and whispered.

Tōshirō nodded. Out of everyone in this school, Ichigo was one of Tōshirō's best friends. The orange-haired male had been there a lot for him during their years together. Despite the fact that Ichigo was fifteen and a few years older than Tōshirō, that hadn't made much of a difference. Hell, Matsumoto was eighteen and was his _best_ friend.

"Jūshirō has moved away…" Tōshirō whispered as he rubbed at his burning eyes.

"Oh…" Ichigo understood immediately why the younger was so stressed out. "Yeah, I can see why you're like this… You should come down the street with us tonight."

Tōshirō shook his head. "I can't… If I'm late by a minute…!"

"Tōshirō…"

Tōshirō turned and stared out of the window, ignoring everything their teacher was talking to them about. Ichigo, however, was deeply concerned. Though he didn't know every detail about Tōshirō's home life, he knew enough to know that the younger was abused by both of his parents and only had Jūshirō there to look out for him. Matsumoto was the one that Tōshirō confided in with everything.

Ichigo didn't know how he could help, but he knew that he had to do _something. _Maybe if he talked to Matsumoto, they could work something out?

**-XX-**

When Tōshirō arrived home after school, he wasn't surprised when he was greeted by his drunken father. He flinched and lowered his gaze as the elder stumbled over to him.

"Two minutes late, Tōshirō," Hitsugaya Hidori growled. He reached out and grabbed Tōshirō's hair before he yanked the younger's head up. "What were you out doing, huh? Whoring yourself out?"

Tōshirō closed his eyes and bit his tongue at these words. His young mind couldn't comprehend fully what a whore was, but he had a rough idea because of the comments his father would make to him.

"Well?" Hidori spat as he shook his son. "Aren't you going to answer me? Huh? Are you ashamed because it's true?"

"…" A single tear dropped down Tōshirō's cheek.

"You filthy slut!" Hidori slapped the spiky-haired child hard enough to cause a nosebleed. He then kneed the boy in the stomach before he threw him to the ground. "But then again, I guess that's the only thing in life you'll ever be; a cock-sucking whore. You can't do anything other than that; you're going to be a failure in life."

Tōshirō curled up into a ball when he heard his father's belt unclip. He tensed, knowing what was happening.

When the belt struck him for the first time that day, Tōshirō whimpered, desperate to keep his pain unnoticed. But when the clip of the belt cut his face open, the boy allowed his pain to be known.

Tōshirō howled in discomfort as blood spilt on the floor beneath him. Despite this, Hidori did not stop his attack on the twelve-year-old.

**-XX-**

Jūshirō sighed as he looked around his dorm room. It was much smaller compared to the university dorm rooms back home and he briefly wondered if all American universities were this small. In his hometown, Jūshirō had studied at the local university, staying only in his dorm during Tōshirō's school hours and only returning home to be with his brother. With another sigh, the long-haired male started to put everything away.

"Hopefully Shiro-chan is okay…" Jūshirō muttered to himself as he straightened a display that held a photo of him and Tōshirō. "I'll have to bring him back plenty of candy."

Jūshirō coughed as he sat down on his bed, hoping that his attacks wouldn't be too severe during his time here at the new university. While he was usually able to keep his tuberculosis under control, there were times when he would get an attack so severe, he would need to be hospitalised.

"You're Ukitake Jūshirō, right?"

Jūshirō looked up as his door opened. He smiled at the male who was standing in the doorway. "Yes. You must be my roommate?"

After his question was confirmed, Jūshirō found himself thinking back to Tōshirō and the boy's treatment. He could only hope that the younger would be able to cope until he returned.

**-XX-**

A few days had passed since Tōshirō's face had been cut open. While his father had just left him there in a pool of his own blood, his mother had been merciful enough to drive him to a hospital for stitches, though not concerned greatly.

Tōshirō sat on his bed, running his thumb over the soft patch the nurse had put over his stitches. He was lost in thought, staring out of the window. It was Monday today. He should have been at school, but his father kept him home so that he wasn't questioned about the medical patch.

"Jūshirō-nii-san never should have left…" Tōshirō whispered to himself, desperate to feel his brother's warm arms around him once again. The loneliness was unbearable, especially with the nightmares he had at night.

It was true that Tōshirō had always been abused. However, with Jūshirō there to take care of him and stand up for him, neither parent had done much more than shove him around with the occasional slaps and kicks coupled with the cruel words, but ever since the elder's departure, things had been much worse.

Tōshirō was punched around, kicked hard enough to have cracked a few of his ribs, and even thrown down the stairs on one occasion. Hidori and his wife Natsu were taking advantage of their newly-found freedom and weren't holding back.

A tear slipped down Tōshirō's cheeks as he watched the young girl next door play with her own parents through his bedroom window. He had never known the love of a parent before; had never had a positive interaction with them.

"Tōshirō…"

Tōshirō flinched and glanced at his door, frightened to find his father standing there with a sick grin on his face. He knew what was coming. Hidori was bored and abusing Tōshirō always cured it.

"Y-yes, F-father…?" Tōshirō whimpered as he unconsciously scooted backwards.

"I'm so awfully bored, and I notice you aren't doing anything productive." Hidori's smirk grew. "Come downstairs and let's play Kick the Little Whore around Some More."

As much as Tōshirō didn't want to, he knew that saying no would only bring him more pain. With a reluctant nod, he pushed himself off the bed and limped towards his father. He yelped as he was grabbed by his hair and dragged out of the room.

_Jūshirō-nii-san…_ Tōshirō thought as he tried to disconnect from reality. _Jūshirō-nii-san… You left me alone with these two monsters… You knew… And you left… Why…?_

Tōshirō's thoughts were soon cut off as a particularly heavy blow to the head knocked him unconscious.

**A/N I'm going to leave this chapter here. If you want me to do a timeskip next chapter, or continue on without one to give you more of an idea about his treatment, leave a review and let me know :)**


	3. Chapter 3

**A/N This chapter is longer than the previous two, but that is because there was a lot of important plot points that had to be established, as well as some foreshadowing. I know that there are a lot of unanswered questions from all three of these chapters, but they will be answered soon enough. As always, please review :)**

When Jūshirō's eyes snapped open that night, it wasn't because he was coughing up blood; he had been dreaming about his brother. In his dream, Tōshirō had been killed right before his eyes by their own mother.

The long haired male panted as sweat rolled down his face. He grabbed at his bed-sheets, not knowing what he could do. His brother was thousands of miles away, and most likely hurt and terrified.

"Calm down…" Jūshirō muttered to himself as he stood up and walked to the bathroom. "Calm down; Tōshirō is strong…"

Jūshirō was glad that his roommate was spending the night in another dorm as he was sure he would have woken the other male up already otherwise.

The Ukitake switched the bathroom light on, glancing around. He let out a sigh before he walked to the sink and turned the taps on. The water was cold as he splashed it on his face. He knew he wasn't supposed to get too worked up or else he would have another attack, but it had been a long time since he had been this distressed; he needed to be able to hold his brother in his arms and reassure the younger that it was going to be alright.

The taps were turned off as a loud cough filled the air. Jūshirō stumbled back towards his bed, not bothering to turn the light off. He crawled under the covers, trying to silence his coughs as specks of blood stained his fingers.

"Tōshirō…" Jūshirō moaned as pain made itself known. "Tōshirō, I love you so much…"

Jūshirō endured his attack for a few more minutes before it settled down enough for him to slowly drift back to sleep with tears in his eyes. The mere thought of losing his precious brother was unbearable.

**-XX-**

Tōshirō was curled up under the covers of his bed, trembling in a manner that resembled a seizure. He didn't truly understand what his father had done to him; all he knew was that his sheets were stained in blood and his backside ached.

A lone tear dripped down Tōshirō's cheeks as he replayed the incident over and over again in his mind. His father cornering him in his room, his mother following her husband in with a video camera. Hidori grabbing him and stroking his sides before pulling the boy's shirt off. Clothing removed from both bodies and unbearable agony that followed almost immediately.

Tōshirō let out a moan as he remembered the agony he had been in. He became lost in his memories as he replayed the feeling of hands all over his body. Over. And over. And over again. It was no surprise when Tōshirō broke down into hysterical screams and sobs.

**-XX- **

The fact that Tōshirō hadn't been coming to school lately was concerning for both Ichigo and Matsumoto. The last time anyone had seen the white-haired boy was almost two weeks ago, and Tōshirō's behaviour had been very concerning. But now that he had returned, things seemed worse than ever before.

Tōshirō had been on edge constantly. He had been shaking uncontrollably the entire day, not allowing anyone close enough to touch him. His voice quivered on the rare occasion he tried to speak to them and he flinched worse than ever. When Uryū had reached across the table towards Chad to hand the other some paper, Tōshirō let out a loud cry and recoiled. Whether he fell off his seat by accident or it was on purpose was debatable, but said child was soon curled up underneath the table, rocking back and forth as tears ran down his cheeks.

Matsumoto had never felt as heartbroken as she did then and there watching her precious Tōshirō act as if he was going to be attacked. She crawled underneath the table and sat beside the younger, hearing Ichigo and the others try and get rid of everyone who wanted to stop and stare at the scene.

"Tōshirō-kun…" Matsumoto reached out slowly, carefully gauging the boy's reaction. Tōshirō's eyes were wide and watching the hand as if it were a snake poised to strike. "Tōshirō-kun, what has hurt you so badly…?"

Tōshirō's shaking only worsened. He pulled back with a hiss when the girl's hand made contact with his hair.

"Tōshirō-kun, you know there is no reason to fear me," Matsumoto whispered. "I would never hurt you, nor would any of the others. Please, talk to me…"

"I…" Tōshirō's breathing became laboured. "…I'm not a… slut, am I, Ranguku…?"

Matsumoto's eyes widened and she couldn't help but pull the short teenager into a hug, despite his loud yelps of protest. "Tōshirō-kun… I swear on my life that you are no slut… What on earth could make you think like that?"

"…" Tōshirō's breathing finally begun to settle down. "…M-my father… said I'm a slut…"

Matsumoto grabbed Tōshirō's shoulders and pushed him back to face him. She ignored the flinch that she was graced with and instead sent a sympathetic look the younger's way. "Tōshirō, you are the farthest thing from a slut I have ever met. Don't you ever think that about yourself."

Tōshirō dropped his head as his tears came heavier. "But… I am a slut… I-I am…"

"Tōshirō-kun…" Matsumoto stroked the spiky hair before her as she murmured her reassurance. "There is not one person in this group who will allow you to think that about yourself. None of us could ever imagine you being something like that. You are no slut, Hitsugaya Tōshirō."

"…Promise…?" Tōshirō whispered.

"Have you ever asked Jūshirō-san that question?" Matsumoto whispered. Tōshirō nodded. "And what did he say?"

"…Almost the same as what you said…"

Matsumoto smiled at these words. "Then I promise. I swear this on my life."

Tōshirō couldn't help it; despite his distress, he needed to feel the love he knew Matsumoto would grant him unconditionally. He buried his face in the girl's chest and wrapped his arms around her, crying for all of the pain and sadness he had bottled up inside of him.

Rukia ducked down under the table a few seconds later. She was considerate of Tōshirō's behaviour as of late and kept her distance.

"The others think it will be a good idea if we get him out of school and back to my place," Rukia explained. "School is clearly doing nothing for him."

Matsumoto nodded. "No one will say a thing to his parents, so why not? Tell the others to go get their things and meet us at the large tree out the front. I'll be a few minutes longer because I'll have to get both of our things."

Rukia nodded and crawled out from under the table. Matsumoto gathered the boy into her arms and followed the Kuchiki.

Stares and whispers followed Matsumoto and Tōshirō until they both had left the school grounds completely, on their way to the Kuchiki mansion.

**-XX-**

It was no surprise when Tōshirō weakly protested against having skipped school in fear of his parents finding out. He had fallen asleep into Matsumoto's arms and only just awoke when Rukia was unlocking the gates to what he assumed to be Rukia's home. He had never been to any of his friends' homes before due to his parents' control.

"I-I can't miss school…!" Tōshirō whimpered as he struggled in his best friend's arms. "M-my p-parents will -!"

"No one is going to tell your parents," Ichigo said in an attempt to calm the younger boy. "You know that."

"B-but -!"

"Ichigo is right," Rukia agreed as she led the others up the winding path. "All of the teachers are aware that you're abused. You know this. They've tried many times to get Child Protective Services to help you but nothing ever works. They don't want to hurt you more than you already are. They only want to help, so they're not going to call your parents. I promise you that they'll understand. Orihime and I already told your teachers that you would be at my home."

Tōshirō stopped moving around in panic and instead nodded. He knew that they were right after all. Instead, he resigned himself to trying to keep calm whilst still in Matsumoto's arms and survey his surroundings.

The front of the mansion looked to be very nice. The grass was a perfect shade of green and there were trees, small bushes and flowers everywhere. In the middle of it all was a winding path that Tōshirō assumed to be the driveway. There was a large pool further in the distance and an expensive-looking black four-wheel-drive parked by the mansion.

The mansion itself was huge. It looked to be at least three stories tall and was bigger than any of the other huge homes that Tōshirō had seen in this town. Said boy vaguely wondered how many of the others had been here before.

Tōshirō looked over at Renji who, until this point, he had not even noticed was with them. He was sure that the red-head would have been here many times, considering that he and Rukia were best friends and had known each other since childhood.

Before Tōshirō could think much more on this topic, Matsumoto stopped walking. Tōshirō blinked, unaware that they had already reached the front door.

"Nii-sama is home so we'll have to be quiet," Rukia instructed as she unlocked the door and pushed it open. "At least until we get to my room."

"W-why do we h-h-have to be q-quiet?" Tōshirō asked with a stutter.

"Because Byakuya-nii-sama is resting," Rukia explained. "It's the anniversary of his wife's death and he always gets a little sad around this time."

Tōshirō nodded and remained quiet. He was respectful enough to understand that this wasn't something he should stick his nose into.

The fairly large group moved towards the stairs tucked away in a corner of the mansion before they ascended them to the third floor. Tōshirō closed his eyes as thoughts of what his parents would do to him if they knew he had skipped school crossed his mind again.

"N-ne, Matsumoto…" Tōshirō whimpered. "I-I… Are you sure that this is a good idea…?"

Matsumoto smiled. "Of course it is. No matter how much of a genius you are, there's no point in going to school when you are just going to sit there and not do anything."

Tōshirō sighed and nodded. They entered Rukia's bedroom not even a minute later. The boy was amazed by how big the room was and the things that were in it. He was sure that the room was so big, it could have fit his entire _house _in it. There was a large queen-size bed along the middle of the wall, a flat-screen plasma against the wall opposite, a walk-in closet full of clothing and other objects, and shelves among shelves lined with books and everything else imaginable.

The fact that Tōshirō's room consisted of a bed and some clothes tucked away in the corner of his room and nothing else broke his heart. His parents really were horrid people, weren't they? Fresh tears dripped down his cheeks as little sobs made themselves known.

"What is it, Tōshirō-kun?" Matsumoto asked as she wiped at the boy's tears. She tried to ignore the way the boy flinched at her touch, but she knew that deep down it would always hurt her.

"It's just…" Tōshirō hiccupped as Matsumoto moved to the bed and sat him on it. He was thankful for her action, having been increasingly overwhelmed by how close she was to him. "…I don't understand…"

"Understand what?" Ichigo asked as he sat down on the chair at the desk tucked away by the window.

"…M-my parents… hate m-me… I have a b-b-bed… and nothing e-else…"

Rukia exchanged glances with Renji while Chad glanced over at Orihime. Ishida was still at school, not the type to skip.

"If it makes you feel any better, Tōshirō," Rukia began, "I didn't have much myself until I got a job and learnt to survive on my own. The things I have now is because my brother didn't want to spoil me until he knew I could survive on my own two feet. So I had to work had to have the things I have now."

Before another word could be spoken, the bedroom door that had previously been closed opened from the outside and Kuchiki Byakuya stood in the doorway with a calm, if only slightly cold expression.

"Why are you not at school, Rukia?" Byakuya questioned as he gazed around at the people she had brought home with her. "And why did you bring everyone along? Go back to school. All of you."

"Byakuya-nii-sama, I'm really sorry, but we can't go back to school today," Rukia started.

Byakuya raised an eyebrow. "And why is that? You know I don't approve of rule-breaking, Rukia. What on earth is so important you had to skip school?"

Fingers pointed at Tōshirō who was currently cowering on the bed, horrified by the stranger's entrance. He could handle Matsumoto, and his other friends to a degree, but having to be near a stranger after having such an experience with his father terrified him.

"Aren't you Hitsugaya Tōshirō?" Byakuya asked as he glanced at the white-haired boy. When Rukia confirmed his suspicions, a slight frown crossed his features for a split second. "I understand now. Jūshirō has told me about _it. _Carry on, Rukia."

With that said, the black-haired man left the room, closing the door behind him. Byakuya's appearance only raised more questions for Tōshirō, such as how the Kuchiki knew his brother and about what went on in his home.


	4. Chapter 4

Tōshirō had been rather surprised when Byakuya had told him he would take him home before his curfew. He had thought that the elder was arrogant and cared about no one else. At least, that was how the rumours went about Kuchiki Byakuya.

Now that he was curled up in the passenger seat of Byakuya's black four-wheel-drive, he couldn't help but think that maybe the raven wasn't all he was cracked up to be.

"Your brother is strong to have done what he has," Byakuya spoke suddenly without taking his eyes off the road.

"P-pardon…?" Tōshirō whispered, frightened of the elder. It was only with reassurance from the others that he was in no danger that he got into the car alone.

"Jūshirō. It's a smart move for him to have planned out his entire future just for your sake, and to have followed through with it all so far, despite how hard a dream it would have been."

"I-I don't understand…"

"He's studying medicine not only because he knows he can make big money from that profession, but because he wants to make up for all of the times he's been unable to help your pain. He hasn't told you this?"

"No…"

"It's true. He's thinking only about you. All he wants is to give you a future that you will enjoy."

"H-how…" Tōshirō bit his lip, not sure how to phrase his question. "…How do y-you know s-so much about u-us…?"

"I've known Jūshirō for a while now. It was usually just us and Shunsui while we were in school. I was always second-best compared to Shunsui, but I guess that was to be expected, seeing as the two had grown up together."

Tōshirō closed his eyes as a single tear slipped past his long lashes. "…Is it w-wrong if I… f-f-feel angry… for him… l-leaving me…?"

Byakuya was silent for a minute before he spoke. "No. It's understandable. He left you in the place you are most vulnerable in, even if it was to try and help you."

With that said, Byakuya had gone silent again until they arrived on Tōshirō's street ten minutes later.

"I'm going to drop you off here so you can walk the rest of the way," Byakuya said as he pulled over. "Your parents will know if they see you getting out of a car."

"O-okay…" Tōshirō whispered. He grabbed his bag and exited the car. He watched as Byakuya drove off before he became lost in his thoughts.

Byakuya had been so nice to him, despite Tōshirō having been terrified of him at first. And Rukia had even said that the elder Kuchiki was having a hard time and yet, the long haired man had taken him home just so he didn't get in trouble.

Tōshirō wasn't sure how this had happened, but he felt as if Bykakuya could possibly be someone who could be trusted, despite what he had heard from Rukia and the rumours that flew around town. Rumours about wealthy families were never nice.

Shaking his head free from his thoughts, Tōshirō slung his bag over his shoulder and began the walk home. He kept his head down low, tensing with whimpers as people walked past him. He was sure that if he hadn't have gone to school today, he would still be a cowering mess the second someone got close to him, but thanks to Matsumoto's warm embrace, he felt as if he had the strength to try and trust others again – no matter how little trust he would put into them.

When Tōshirō got home, he was horrified to find that the living room was full of other men, his father leaning against the wall with his arms crossed over his chest. It was clear that he had been waiting for his son's return.

A loud sob escaped Tōshirō's lips as he dropped his bag to the floor. He staggered backwards, wanting to put as much distance between he and Hidori as possible. However, his attempt was futile as his back soon hit the wall.

Hidori lunged as if he were a wild animal, grabbing Tōshirō by the hair. He dragged the now-screaming boy into the living room, laughing at the younger's thrashes. With a grunt, he threw the spiky-haired child onto the floor before all of the men.

"Do as you will with him," Hidori said. "I have no use for him anymore."

There was laughter all around the room, amidst Tōshirō's petrified hysterics.

"But, Hidori," one of the men began as he approached the boy curled up in the foetal position, "what about the other one? What have you done with him?"

"Oh, no need to worry about him," Hidori replied with a sniff. "He's overseas at the moment. He's good, though. I still have use for him."

"I find it amusing that you treat your eldest with respect while this one lives in hell." Another one of the men laughed.

"Oh, Jūshirō was never my son in the first place. He just accepts the fact that his real father died before he was old enough to remember him and I was the one there to fill the void. He's a smart boy. He'll make me proud one day. Besides; I still have my uses for him."

With that said, Hidori left the room, ignoring Tōshirō's screams of absolute horror. It was as he said; he still had use for Jūshirō and to have that purpose fulfilled, he needed Jūshirō to be as stable as possible – but having grown up witnessing his father-figure bash his mother and scream profanities at her every single day, and then having to watch his brother go through the same abuse had still done its damage to Jūshirō, unbeknownst to Hidori.

Tōshirō's screams for his brother and pleas for the men to stop whatever they saw fit to do to him was like music to Hidori's ears. He slipped up the stairs and opened the door to his bedroom, finding his wife sitting on the bed.

"What have you done to him this time?" Hana whispered.

Hidori shrugged. "Got some of my drinking buddies over to teach him a lesson about biting me where it hurts most."

A small smirk crossed Hana's face. If she had ever truly cared about either of her children in the first place, she certainly didn't anymore.

**-XX-**

"Morbidity rates had risen over the past years and…"

Jūshirō kept his eyes on his notebook, writing down what his class was being told. He couldn't help but shake the feeling that something was really wrong back home. It was enough to drag his attention away from what he was so desperate to learn about, despite how much he tried to focus.

"Are you alright?"

Jūshirō looked to his left, noticing the concern on his fellow student's face. Her eyes were wide and she was biting her lip. He nodded.

"You're sweating," the girl pointed out, "and trembling. And you look as if you're going to cry. Are you sure you're okay?"

Jūshirō nodded again. "I am fine… I just –"

Before Jūshirō could finish his sentence, a past memory made itself known. He played the video in his mind of his mother being beaten viciously by what was supposed to be his father before his younger brother was attacked next. When that had happened, Tōshirō had barely been a year old.

A single tear leaked from Jūshirō's eyes before he fell into a violent coughing fit. He tried to cover his mouth and hide the fact that he was coughing up blood, but said liquid only slipped through his fingers, coating his hand in a shiny red as rivers of blood fell onto his clothes and notebook.

The class teacher stopped talking and instead ran to Jūshirō's side. He grabbed the white-haired male's shoulders and pushed him down to sit back in his seat.

"Someone call an ambulance!" the teacher shouted as he wiped at all of the blood with his sleeve, having no idea what he could do to help while his student struggled for breath. In the back of his mind, he knew he should be checking the medical forms he had on his desk, but he was in too much of a panic; he had never had a student appear to be dying in his class before.

The last thing that Jūshirō could think about before he passed out was about his brother. He was vaguely aware of screams around him, but the only thing he could see was his brother's crying face before everything went black.

**-XX-**

Matsumoto stared out of her classroom's window, wishing with all of her being that Tōshirō would walk up in and into the school building. No one had seen or even heard from him for nearly two months now, and the fact that the last time he had been seen was when he was taken to Rukia's home only caused great concern amongst the Hitsugaya's group.

"What are you doing, Tōshirō…?" Matsumoto whispered to herself as she realised that today was another day with the spiky-haired boy.

When the lunch bell rang, Matsumoto met up with the group at their usual meeting spot these days; Tōshirō's locker.

"No sign of him?" Ichigo asked as everyone gathered.

"No."

"I think now would be a good time to pay a visit to his home," Chad said in a quiet tone. "Something has really gone wrong if he's been missing this long."

"Yes, but the only problem with that is that Hidori will only hurt him more if even one of us rocks up at their home," Matsumoto pointed out. "He's _always _been that way. Tōshirō has _never _had anyone over before because of the threats he has been given."

"That doesn't matter!" Ichigo cried out. "Tōshirō could be hurt badly!"

"And if that's the case, then we should stay here," Ishida added. "If he _is _badly hurt, we'll only make things worse for him."

"We can't ring the house and ask to talk to him, can we?" Orihime added.

Matsumoto shook her head. "No. Tōshirō doesn't have a phone and if we rang the house phone, that will just cause more problems."

"Where are Renji and Rukia?" Ichigo growled in frustration. "They could be helping us work something out!"

"Rukia is ill and Renji skipped again," Ishida pointed out. "Said he didn't feel like coming to school so he was going to hang around with Rukia and keep her company."

Ichigo sighed. "Someone ring them and ask for their help when we get home. I would, but I'm going to be home late tonight."

"I'll do that," Orihime offered.

Matsumoto chewed at her lip as she became lost in thought. Just because Tōshirō couldn't have visitors when his dad was around didn't mean that she couldn't show up if the boy's parents _weren't _home… Maybe she should stop in on her way home from school and try to see what was happening?

**-XX-**

The home bell couldn't have rang fast enough for Matsumoto. She flew to her locker, wasting no time as she packed her books into her bag and then fled the school. She knew she had to be extremely careful about how she invaded upon Tōshirō's home, but her love for the younger boy was too great to just leave things alone.

When she arrived outside of the run-down home that Tōshirō lived in, she looked around carefully. There were no cars in the driveway and she couldn't hear anything coming from inside the house. She snuck around the back, ducking carefully underneath windows until she stood outside of the one she knew was Tōshirō's. The boy had confided in her that he was kept at the very back of the house in order for his screams and cries to be silenced easier.

Matsumoto gasped at what she saw. Blood was everywhere. There was blood all through the bed, over the walls, staining the carpet and even splattered across the small stack of clothing that was in the corner of the room. The bed sheets were ripped and looked as if a great struggle had taken place in the bed. But what horrified her the most was how there was a trail of blood leading out of the room, looking as if someone had been dragged across the floor.

Matsumoto threw up before she ran from the house, needing to get as far away as possible. When she arrived back at her own home, she rushed into her bedroom and slammed the door closed before she collapsed into a sobbing heap. She knew how bad things were for Tōshirō, but how could she had allowed it to get to _that?_

**-XX-**

Blood. Aching. Absolute agony. Terror. They were what Tōshirō felt as he staggered uneasily throughout the night. He was unable to remember exactly what had happened to him, but he remembered enough to know that after weeks of torture from many different people, he had eventually been dumped by the canal, seemingly left for dead.

The only upside to this that Tōshirō could see throughout his blind terror was that he knew Rukia's home was close by, seeing as Byakuya had driven him past the canal all that time ago.

What felt like a lifetime had passed before Tōshirō found himself standing outside of the gates that led to Kuchiki Manor. He gasped for air desperately as blood dripped from his body. He reached up with a shaking hand and weakly pushed at the buzzer.

It took a few minutes for a reply to come, but he knew that voice to be Byakuya's. The Kuchiki sounded tired, and it was only then that Tōshirō realised he had no idea what time it is.

"Who is it…?" Byakuya's voice asked through the speaker. "Do you realise what time it is…?"

"P-please…" A hacking cough left Tōshirō's weak body as he collapsed against the post. "…P-please… H-h-help…"

"…" Byakuya was silent for several seconds before a stunned reply sounded. "Tōshirō…?"

"H-help…"

With that said, Tōshirō's eyes slipped closed and he fell into oblivion.


	5. Chapter 5

Ichigo had been looking forward to going home and getting some sleep. He hated staying late at his father's hospital to help out with things because he was often there past midnight when that happened, like how right now was nearing two-thirty in the morning.

Before the orange-haired male could even put his hand on the doors that led to the outside, said doors slammed against the wall as if a charging rhino had ran into them. Ichigo jumped back in surprise; it was rare for someone to come in after midnight, especially for something as seemingly urgent as this. Most people went to the public hospital instead of this one.

"Kurosaki…"

Panic made itself known in the depths of Ichigo's stomach as he saw Kuchiki Byakuya standing before him with something wrapped in a jacket that looked as if it had been dunked in a pool of blood.

"Kurosaki, get a room prepared," Byakuya spoke in a calm voice, though the concern in his eyes gave him away. Whatever he was holding was causing him great distress.

Ichigo called for his father, not wanting to look at what was underneath the jacket. If his worst fears were proven correct…

Isshin came running at his son's shout. His eyes widened at the sight of a Kuchiki holding a bloodied object. Most people said that the Kuchiki family were stuck-up and didn't care about anyone outside of the family. He approached the raven-haired male and carefully took the object from the younger.

As Isshin cautiously peeled part of the jacket away from what he knew to be a face, he was sickened by what he saw. A small boy – probably no older than thirteen, at the most – lay covered in the jacket, blood sticking to his skin as it flowed from gashes. There was a large gash on one side of the child's head that looked as if someone had hit him with an axe. There were bruises everywhere and his nose was broken. Some teeth were missing and one eye was swollen and puffy; it would be no surprise if that eye would not open for a while.

Those injuries were just on the face alone. Isshin did not want to see what other injuries were elsewhere.

Ichigo made a move to follow his father into the emergency room, but Isshin stopped and turned to face him.

"Ichigo, this is one I want you to sit out," Isshin said in a soft tone.

"B-but –" Ichigo wanted desperately to explain that he _knew _it was his friend that was in that state.

"Ichigo, you stay out here and keep Kuchiki-sama company until I come out and get you. Okay?"

Ichigo nodded, knowing that there was no time for him to keep arguing and delay treatment. Instead, he watched as his father disappeared in a hurry before he took a seat next to Byakuya in the waiting room.

"It was Tōshirō, wasn't it…?" Ichigo muttered as he dropped his face in his head.

"Yes." Byakuya turned a careful eye on the boy. "How did you know this?"

"Rukia hasn't told you that he's been missing for months?"

"She has. She's been torn up about it. You had a feeling it was him."

Ichigo nodded. It was only then that he realised the elder was still in white silk pyjamas that were stained with blood. If Byakuya hadn't changed, it must have been urgent. "…How… How is he…?"

Byakuya shook his head. "You don't want to know. Let's just say that I was shocked to have found him alive, albeit slumped outside of the gates after having rang the buzzer and calling for help…"

"He went to your home? He should have gotten himself to a hospital or something!"

"Yes, because considering the state he was in when I found him, he could have really dragged himself to a hospital – which is in the middle of town. He must have been close by, because with those injuries, he really should be dead."

Ichigo frowned. "…Tōshirō won't die."

"What makes you say that?"

"Tōshirō is strong. He's young and very small, but he's strong."

"Injuries like that make strength irrelevant, Kurosaki."

"Not when it comes to Tōshirō," Ichigo allowed a smile to cross his face. "It never really occurred to us before, but he is one of the strongest people I've ever met. He's dealt with all kinds of physical injuries, one after another after another, and he's had to live with mental and emotional abuse his entire life as well, but the thing is; he's _still here, _and he's _still fighting._ He's got to pull through this. He just has to."

Byakuya closed his eyes as he tilted his head backwards. "You really expect him to _want _to pull out of something like this? Let alone _come _out of it?"

"Tōshirō has people who love and care for him," Ichigo argued back. "He may not have many, but he still has me, Rukia, Renji and the rest of our group, as well as his brother. He loves us back just as much as we love him. He's already said that he wants to be here for as long as he can so he doesn't hurt us by leaving. You need to have faith in him."

Byakuya hummed a little as he thought over Ichigo's words. Tōshirō had seemed nothing special to him the first time he had laid eyes on him back in Rukia's room. Hell, his first impression of Tōshirō was that of a traumatised child who depended on others for everything. But maybe… Ichigo was right.

The two slipped into a comfortable silence for a while, each lost in their own respective thoughts. However, Isshin returned back to the waiting room after what felt like years. His face held a grim expression.

"Ichigo," Isshin started, "that boy Kuchiki-sama brought in… I believe he is your friend, Tōshirō…"

Ichigo nodded in confirmation, silently wishing for his father to get to the important news.

"Well, Tōshirō has pulled through so far…" Isshin rubbed the back of his head, not knowing how to convey the news. "I thank Kuchiki-sama for bringing him here so quick for that. …But, the problem is that Tōshirō has had to be put into an induced coma. I have my assistant sitting with him now, but… the odds of him pulling through are slim to none. He's going to need a lot of surgeries and I also suspect that if he _does _pull through… he'll have a deep trauma associated with the events."

Ichigo's face fell into his hands once again. Byakuya, however, sat there with a calm expression.

"Were you able to find out what happened to him, apart from the obvious attack on him?" Byakuya asked.

"He's been raped," Isshin explained grimly. "Multiple times. And there are clear signs of weapons having been used on him. I've even removed a bullet from his shin. Police are on their way here now. I'm going to stay here and keep an eye on him for the night, so can you head home now and make sure the girls are still asleep, please?"

Ichigo nodded. He rubbed at his eyes. He never realised how tired he was until right now.

Byakuya checked his watch. It was nearing eight in the morning. He couldn't believe that they had been here for so many hours and didn't even realise.

"I'll take you home, Ichigo," Byakuya offered as he stood up. "I don't have my phone with me and Rukia will be worried about my whereabouts. You can ring her and explain that I am on my way home."

"Sounds good."

Isshin watched the two males leave before he turned around and headed back to Tōshirō's room. There was just no way he could allow Ichigo in to see the boy in this state.

**-XX-**

Jūshirō coughed a little as someone shook his shoulder, waking him up from his peaceful sleep. He was back in the hospital again, having been stressed enough for his attacks to occur more often. He blinked sleepily up at his nurse, confused. It was nearing ten at night and he had already had his medicine, so what on earth could they want?

"You have a phone call, Jūshirō," the nurse said with a hint of concern in her voice. "It's come all the way from the Japanese police department."

Jūshirō's eyes widened as he sat up immediately. His coughing became worse as his panic spiked.

"Hey, hey, settle down, sweetie," the nurse soothed as she rubbed Jūshirō's back before gently pushing him down on the bed. "Don't get yourself so worked up. Here."

Jūshirō accepted the phone that was handed to him. Once his coughs subsided, he spoke into it.

"Hello…?" Jūshirō had never had so much trouble trying to talk before.

"Ukitake Jūshirō, I'm afraid we have some bad news," was the reply from the other end of the phone.

A single tear dripped down Jūshirō's cheek as he thought about what it could be. His parents had finally killed Tōshirō, hadn't they…? He _knew _he never should have left…!

"Late last night, Hitsugaya Tōshirō was brought into the Kurosaki's hospital by Kuchiki Byakuya. Do any of these names sound familiar?"

Jūshirō's stomach clenched as he nodded out of reflex. "…I… I know them all…"

"We've spoken to Kuchiki-san and he has explained that at some time between one-thirty and two-fifteen, someone had rung the buzzer at his home. Someone was begging for help. Kuchiki-san had gotten into his car to see what was wrong, and he had explained that he was horrified to find Hitsugaya-san unconscious at his gates. He had said that there was blood everywhere, so the boy was wrapped in a jacket that was left in the back of the car as Kuchiki-san took him to Kurosaki hospital."

Jūshirō couldn't help but let out a few more harsh coughs at these words, horrified at what could be said next. He accepted the glass of water his nurse handed to him and took a few long gulps.

"When we got to the hospital," the officer on the other end of the phone continued once the coughing had ended, "we were sickened to find a boy bandaged from head to toe with plaster casts on both arms and a leg. The boy had been raped and mutilated by what had been a large group. That child is your brother. He's been placed in an induced coma and we've taken both of your parents into custody. We've found evidence that both of them were involved in this, due to… bodily fluids."

Jūshirō couldn't remember the last time he cried as much as he was then and there. His coughing was bad enough to include blood once again, but when his nurse took the phone from him and politely ended the conversation, she helped him lay down in the hospital bed and rubbed his arm, waiting for the attack to finish.

Between his heartbreak and his attack, Jūshirō still found room to decide that he was done with being apart from his brother and he would be catching the next flight back to Japan as soon as he was well enough to travel again. He knew that he shouldn't have left his brother alone like he had, but he didn't have the money to take care of him nor the time to always be there for him.

It didn't matter if Jūshirō hadn't finished his degree; his brother was the most important thing to him and he was not going to stay overseas while his brother needed him.


	6. Chapter 6

What felt like forever was only a few days before Jūshirō was able to get his hands on a phone that wouldn't cost him anything to call overseas. In other words, his call would be placed on someone else's bill.

"Come on…" Jūshirō muttered to himself as he waited impatiently for the other end of the phone to be picked up. "Come on…"

"Hello?" A sleepy voice sounded from the other line. "Who is this…?"

"Rukia-kun?" Jūshirō asked as he closed his suitcase. "Rukia-kun, where's your brother?"

"Sleeping. Do you know how late it is…?" Rukia yawned as if to emphasise her point.

"I know, and I'm really sorry, Rukia-kun, but I need to talk to Byakuya." Jūshirō bit his lip.

"Can't you ring him tomorrow…?"

"No, it's urgent. Rukia-kun, please…" Jūshirō struggled to silence a cough that was clawing its way up through his body.

Rukia sighed. "Alright… But if Byakuya-nii-sama bites your head off, it's not my fault…"

"Thanks, Rukia-kun…" Jūshirō rubbed the nape of his neck, glancing up at the head of his university. He sent an apologetic glance towards the man, knowing that he had been granted use of the elder's personal phone solely because of Jūshirō's family circumstances.

There was a lot of grumbling on the other end of the line before Byakuya's voice sounded.

"What." It wasn't a question, and the Kuchiki sounded as if he were about to go on a murderous rampage.

"Byakuya-kun," Jūshirō started, "I know it's late, but I –"

"Of course it's late." Byakuya replied in that seemingly calm voice that Jūshirō knew well enough to know that underneath its calm tones was a hint of anger. "It's four in the morning, Jūshirō. What on earth could be so important?"

Jūshirō replied in a small, somewhat timid voice. "My brother."

Byakuya was silent for almost two minutes. Jūshirō was nearly sure that the younger had fallen asleep again. "…I see. Continue."

"…I-I was hoping that…" Jūshirō took a deep breath. "…That you would pay for a plane ticket back home… I know that I still haven't paid back the one you got for me to come here, but I –"

"-That is not a problem." There was the sound of sheets being ruffled and clothing pulled on from the other end of the line. "I'll get it done right away. As soon as possible."

"T-thank you, Byakuya-kun…" Jūshirō couldn't help but let out a sob as he clenched the phone harder in his hand. A light cough wracked his frail body. "I-I… I really appreciate it…"

Byakuya grunted in response. "I'm sorry about your brother."

And with that said, the other line went dead. Jūshirō hung the phone up and handed it to the older man. He wiped at his eyes with his sleeve.

"Are you okay, Jūshirō?" The balding man asked as he slipped the phone into his pocket.

Jūshirō nodded. "I… I just… I need to go home…"

"I understand." The man stood up and grabbed Jūshirō's arm. "Let me take you back to your dorm."

The long-haired male nodded and walked with his elder. His mind was focused solely on Tōshirō and what would happen when he came back home.

**-XX-**

Two days had passed since Byakuya had gotten the phone call from his friend. He was currently seated next to his sister in Tōshirō's hospital room, listening to the words that Matsumoto and Ichigo were saying to the unconscious boy.

Unohana Restu was kneeling by the bed, checking all of Tōshirō's vitals while Isshin was busy with other patients.

It had surprised quite a lot of people to see Byakuya walk into the room with Rukia and sit down by the bed, but what had surprised them even more was the fact that the Kuchiki had barely left his seat for nearly five hours.

"Kuchiki-sama…"

Byakuya lifted his head at his title. He saw that Isshin was standing in the doorway with a concerned look on his face.

"May I speak with you outside?"

Byakuya nodded and left his seat. He took one last glance at Tōshirō before he left the room. The two stood down the hall, trying to avoid any of the teens eavesdropping.

"Kuchiki-sama, may I ask why you are here so often?" Isshin asked in a soft tone. He knew that it was unlike Byakuya to care about an 'outsider' so much.

Byakuya shrugged. He looked away into the distance as his eyes clouded over. He became lost in his thoughts before Isshin gently grabbed his elbow and brought him back to reality.

"He's weighing heavily on your conscious, isn't he?" The Kurosaki continued on. "Do you feel like you have some kind of responsibility for him? You were the one who found him, after all."

Byakuya didn't speak. He didn't even move. He just let out a loud sigh as his gaze searched Isshin's eyes.

"I'm going to bring him out of the coma soon now that his brain has stopped swelling. It might be good for you to be there with him seeing as you were the person he had sought out for help. I also believe it would be good if you take him home with you once he recovers enough to leave the hospital. He's going to need a lot of help."

"His brother will be here today." Byakuya spoke quietly. "Jūshirō. He should be here any minute. He's the one you need to be discussing this with. Not me."

Isshin frowned as Byakuya started walking back to the hospital room. He didn't like how cold and anti-social the Kuchiki was. And what was this about Jūshirō? Wasn't he overseas?

Before Isshin could dwell too much on the subject, he turned to walk back down to reception when an odd-looking individual caught his attention. He glanced at them again, not sure what he was seeing. It was a tall man with brown hair tied back in a ponytail. He had wavy bangs that framed his face and seated upon his head was a sakkat. He wore a pink flowered kimono that was draped from his shoulders over what looked to be a white robe of sorts.

"Doctor Kurosaki?" the man called as he approached Isshin. His voice had a soft edge to it, giving Isshin the impression that he was rather laid-back.

"That's me," Isshin said as he stopped in order to speak with the man. "Is everything okay with you?"

"I'm fine," the man replied back. "I'm here to see Hitsugaya Tōshirō. Is that at all possible?"

That was when realisation struck Isshin. This man must have been the Jūshirō that Byakuya was talking about. "You're his brother, right?"

"No. I'm Kyōraku Shunsui." Shunsui pointed across his shoulder with his thumb towards a man with long white hair coming towards them. "He is."

Isshin took in the newcomer's appearance. While rather tall himself, Tōshirō's brother was smaller than Shunsui and was very skinny from what could be seen. In his mouth was a lollypop and the male's eyes were unfocused. He looked to be very lost.

"Jū-chan," Shunsui called in a soft voice. "Jū-chan, over here. I'm talking to the doctor now."

The man – Jūshirō – blinked a few times before he looked over at Shunsui. He shuffled over and rested his head against the taller's shoulder while he looked up at Isshin with curious eyes. Tired, yet still curious.

"You're Jūshirō?" Isshin asked the newcomer.

Jūshirō nodded. "Can I… Can I see my brother…?"

Isshin felt his heart sink at the male's exhausted voice. A flash of pain passed through green eyes before they were replaced with that same tired curiosity he had seen before.

"…Yes, but… Please be aware that I will be bringing him out of an induced coma shortly."

Jūshirō flinched silently but nodded. "…I understand."

The two followed Isshin through the corridors of the hospital before they stopped at a room towards the end.

Isshin put his hand on the doorhandle before he sent a serious look to the two males. "The boy you are about to see is covered in bandages for a reason. I don't know how much you know about his condition, but he's lucky to be alive. His head must not be touched under any condition unless it is by myself or a nurse, and if you are going to touch to his body, make sure it is on a clear piece of skin where you can see markings. I don't want to risk him being hurt and his healing process being set back."

Jūshirō nodded as he reached out and gripped his friend's kimono. Isshin wondered if that was even a conscious action.

"Please try not to be too overwhelmed…" Isshin pushed the door open, waiting for the child's visitors to walk in. He wasn't surprised when he heard the duo gasp, nor was he when Jūshirō ran forward and seemingly fell to his knees by the bed.

"S-shiro-chan…" Jūshirō whispered as his eyes filled with tears. He desperately wanted to reach out and hold his brother, but he knew what the doctor had told him was serious. He looked to the smaller hands, only to find them both bandaged. "Tōshirō…"

Tōshirō was bandaged from head to foot. The bandage around his head looked as if it had been wrapped many times in order to stop blood from soaking through. Both arms were in casts with bandages disappearing underneath, as was one of the child's legs. The hospital gown that he was wearing had hitched up, revealing bandages covering his entire torso. Drips and cords disappeared underneath the bandages, making the scene look worse than it already was.

"T-tōshirō…" Jūshirō whispered as he dropped his head onto the mattress. A lone tear dripped down his cheek.

Shunsui knelt next to Jūshirō, gently pulling the other into a warm embrace. He didn't know what he could say to soothe the younger, so he hoped that physical affection would be enough to remind the white-haired male that he wasn't alone in this.

"If I had known that this would happen, I would never have taken him back home…"

Jūshirō's breath hitched at Byakuya's voice. He hadn't even noticed the Kuchiki sitting against the wall.

"I didn't think this would happen…" Byakuya's eyes became hazy as his hand clenched against his lap. "…I would never have let him leave the house if I knew…"

"Byakuya-nii-sama…" Rukia reached over and gripped her brother's sleeve in her small hand.

Jūshirō rubbed at his eyes as he shook his head. "Don't blame yourself… _I _shouldn't have left…"

"Don't stress," Shunsui whispered as he ran his hand through Jūshirō's hair. "It's not good for your health."

Matsumoto and Ichigo shared a look with each other as they watched the emotional scene before them. They understood how stressful it was, but Byakuya… They had _never _seen the Kuchiki like this. They wondered what could have possibly happened between he and Tōshirō for the raven-haired man to be here.

"This is really depressing…" Ichigo muttered to Matsumoto. "Come with me to the cafeteria."

Matsumoto did as asked and followed her friend out of the room. They walked in silence until they had got what they wanted and found a table at the back of the room where they could eat in peace.

"What's the deal with Byakuya?" Ichigo asked as he nibbled away at his sandwich. "Something's really wrong with him. Have you noticed how quiet he's been? I mean – quiet for _him. _And that look in his eyes…"

"Rukia's mentioned something to me before about him," Matsumoto replied as she sipped at her coke. "I don't know all the details, but I think he's been through something similar before."

Ichigo's eyes widened. "W-what?!"

"It's true. Rukia said that something happened to him when he was young and that's why he's the way he is. Perhaps he cares about Tōshirō because he feels that they have common ground or something?"

"I never would have pegged _Byakuya _to have been through stuff…" Ichigo muttered.

"Whatever happened – to _both _of them – is not our business, Ichigo," Matsumoto reminded her friend. "We're allowed to care and offer to listen to them, but it's _their _decision if they want to tell us. We don't have the right to force it out of them."

"I guess you're right… Hey, I wonder why the others didn't skip school today and come see Tōshirō?"

"They've got their reasons."

With that said, the two fell into a comfortable silence again, each in their own respective thoughts.


	7. Chapter 7

**A/N This chapter focuses mainly on interaction between Jūshirō and Byakuya, but you won't understand why until you get to the end of the chapter.**

**Also, I apologise for the late update as my friend has been ill and we've had exams so we have been fairly busy (well, she has been studying while I was like, meh, stupid exams, don't care so stuff exams – **_**most **_**of the time :P) **

Byakuya watched as Jūshirō ran his thumb over Tōshirō's jaw with a feather-light touch. He listened as the ill man spoke to his brother in a soft tone. Isshin had already awoken the boy from his coma and now they could only play the waiting game for when he woke up on his own.

Byakuya couldn't help but feel worried for the boy. He had never been in a coma himself, but he knew what it was like to wake up in an unfamiliar place, scared out of your mind. And with the child's already fragile state of mind, what if it was just too much for him…?

Minutes had passed by in silence. During this time, Jūshirō had fallen asleep with his head on his brother's mattress. Shunsui was sitting against the wall, watching the scene before him with sad eyes.

Byakuya was lost in deep thought until a weight fell on his arm. He glanced down to find Rukia's head against his arm, fast asleep. He shifted so that his sister's head was resting in his lap.

A few more minutes passed by before Tōshirō started to stir. Jūshirō's eyes opened and he stood up, glancing down with concerned eyes. Shunsui joined him, not sure what to expect. Byakuya remained where he was, watching silently. He reached out and placed a hand on Rukia's head as memories swam through his mind.

Tōshirō's eyes fluttered weakly for a few seconds before they opened. Everyone's breath held in their chest as the door opened and Nurse Unohana walked in.

"He's awoken..."Unohana muttered as she approached the boy's side. She reached out and grabbed Tōshirō's hand.

The second something made contact with his hand, Tōshirō let out a loud groan before he tossed his head side to side. A loud screeching sound that Jūshirō had never heard from him sounded next. It was a sound of pure terror mixed with agitation. Nothing the white-haired male had ever heard sounded as horrible as this sound of despair did.

"Shiro..." Jūshirō reached out to touch his brother's hand, but he was pushed away in a gentle manner by Unohana.

"Don't touch him," Unohana instructed as she tried to stop Tōshirō from thrashing around. She was having a hard time holding down the boy's upper torso. "I'm going to need to call in someone else to help me out. I'll only sedate him as a last resort."

Unohana reached out and pushed the buzzer by the bed, awaiting assistance. Not long had passed before Isshin and a student, Hanatarō, came into the room.

Isshin took one look at Tōshirō before he instructed Hanatarō to hold the boy down. He reached out and put a hand on the white-haired boy's arm in what was supposed to be a soothing manner.

However, it only caused Tōshirō to lash out worse. Feral snarls and curses escaped his lips as he struggled to break free from the ones who were holding him down.

Jūshirō couldn't hold back the tears. He stood there, crying as he watched everything play out before him. He had never seen his brother like this, and he never thought he would have. He was vaguely aware of Shunsui talking to him, but he didn't catch any of the words that were said.

When Byakuya stood up and put a hand on his shoulder, Jūshirō's eyes widened. He had forgotten all about Byakuya, and seeing the pain in the younger's eyes made him remember that he wasn't the only one in that room suffering.

Byakuya only had to remove his hand in silence to let the other realise that he wanted Jūshirō to leave the room with him. Jūshirō looked back at Shunsui.

"Go with him," Shunsui said as he sat down in the chair that was previously occupied by the Kuchiki. He reached out and grabbed Rukia's hand for comfort. The girl had awoken and was now trying not to cry at what was happening. "I'll stay here."

Jūshirō nodded and followed his younger friend out of the room. They walked down the corridor and made their way outside. Jūshirō stood with his back against the wall and his face in his hands while Byakuya sat on the bench beside him.

Things between them were noiseless until Byakuya spoke.

"I couldn't stay and watch him…" Byakuya's voice sounded strained. Jūshirō moved his hands so that he could observe the younger. "…He… He was moving like I did… Screaming… It was too painful…"

Jūshirō understood immediately that the Kuchiki was asking for an ear to listen while he spoke about his own experience. He pushed the thought of Tōshirō to the back of his mind as he sat beside his friend. It was extremely rare for Byakuya to have moments like these. They were almost non-existent, but when they _did _happen, it meant that things had bottled up and exploded for the raven-haired man.

The Ukitake remained silent, knowing that his friend would appreciate it. He wiped at his own tears, trying his best to put the younger first.

"…I don't know what I did wrong that day…" Byakuya continued on as he looked up at the sky. "My parents had always promised that nothing bad would ever happen to me because of my family name, but…"

Byakuya let out a sigh as he turned to face Jūshirō's direction. He was sure to avoid eye contact, though.

"…My grandfather told me that they had been waiting for me for weeks… My parents didn't tell me before this happened because they didn't want to worry me… Did you know it was the very first time I had ever left the grounds without telling my parents I was going somewhere, Ukitake?"

"I did…" Jūshirō whispered, knowing just what to say.

"I thought it would be okay to run to the candy shop and back. I didn't think anything would happen. But… When they pulled me into the van, I had never been so scared before… The things they did to me, Ukitake… They had me for a week before they dumped me back outside of my home…"

Jūshirō closed his eyes at these words, knowing what Byakuya was going to say next.

"…My parents… They were dead… Grandfather was hurt…" Tears welled up in Byakuya's eyes at the memories but he fought hard to keep them from falling. "…And then there was me… I was their pathetic little sex toy that they would beat when they were bored… I can still feel their touches, Ukitake…"

"You know that it wasn't your fault, Byakuya-kun," Jūshirō whispered again. He let out a light cough before he spoke again. "And you definitely are _not _pathetic. You were so young… You couldn't possibly have understood the consequences of leaving without telling your parents – and definitely didn't understand what they wanted. It was _not _your fault."

"Over and over again they said it…" Byakuya hissed as he clenched his hands. "They said it was my fault for everything that had happened. They said that it was all my fault for having been _born…! _But I didn't ask for any of it… I swear I didn't… And when you tell me it wasn't my fault… Ukitake, my entire _life _I've replayed their words over and over in my mind; I've _agreed _with them for so long… Don't think that just telling me it wasn't my fault can fix everything…"

"Byakuya, my brother is in hospital…" Jūshirō couldn't stop the frown from crossing his face. "I understand what you're saying, but… please, understand what _I'm _going through…"

Byakuya nodded, silent for a few more minutes. "…Your brother… Was exactly what I was like when it happened… I tried to resist… I tried to get away… You don't understand what it was like, watching something that happened to you play out in almost the exact same way…"

"I don't," Jūshirō agreed. "I don't think I _could _understand… I'm just so sorry that you've had to go through everything you have, but you know I'm always here for you."

Byakuya nodded, humming thoughtfully. He _did _know that Ukitake was there for him. The white-haired male was the one person in his life besides Rukia that he spoke with when he had a problem.

"…Rukia said I should go to a professional…" Byakuya said in a soft tone. There was a hint of doubt in his voice. He looked up and finally made eye contact with the elder. His eyes were full of fear. "…Am I really that bad, Ukitake…?"

Well, this was new… Jūshirō shook his head. "You're fine, Byakuya-kun. You had something horrible happen to you and despite that, you're normal."

"…" A lone tear dripped down Byakuya's chin. "…I want Tōshirō, Ukitake."

"W-what?" Jūshirō frowned. What was the raven talking about…?

"Tōshirō," Byakuya repeated. "I want him. He's just like I was. I want to be the one to take care of him and help him. …No one was there to help me…"

Jūshirō let out a few coughs before he spoke, this time with hurt in his voice. "Byakuya-kun… I understand your reasoning, but… he's my _brother… _I need to be the one who's there for him."

Byakuya shook his head. "Ukitake, please… You _don't _understand… No one wanted to help me… I had to pick _myself _up… I can't… let this happen to him!"

Jūshirō was greatly concerned. He had never seen Byakuya like this before. He bit his lip, reaching out to touch the younger's shoulder. He pulled back at the flinch Byakuya presented him with.

"If it means so much to you, I don't mind letting you see him, Byakuya-kun," Jūshirō started with a gentle tone, "but he's my brother and I can't hand him off to someone."

A few more tears dripped down Byakuya's cheeks as a choked gasp escaped his lips. He buried his face in his hands, letting his emotions out.

Jūshirō knew better than to touch the younger in such a state, but Kuchiki seemed worse off than he could ever have guessed. During the times they had spent together talking about the raven's past, Byakuya had never truly cried. Maybe let a tear or two escape, but never like this. And what was with the wanting Tōshirō thing…?

"I'm not normal, am I…?" Byakuya whispered through his cries. "…I'm… Rukia was right…"

"No…" Jūshirō moved to sit closer to the smaller male, ignoring the way the Kuchiki scooted away in fear. "No, Byakuya-kun. No matter what, you'll always be normal. You're fine just the way you are, and don't ever believe otherwise. I'll never judge you for anything and I would never want you to change. So, please… Stop being so hard on yourself… You don't deserve it."

Byakuya didn't reply. He could only cry harder.

**-XX-**

Once Byakuya had gotten himself under control and had washed his face, he and Jushiro returned to Toshiro's room. It was near silent as they stood outside of the door, the only sounds coming from the teens conversing with each other.

Jushiro pushed the door open and glanced in. His brother was lying on the bed with eyes on the roof, shaking. Rukia was talking to Ichigo and Matsumoto, who must have returned from the cafeteria sometime while the adults were outside.

Jushiro's hands trembled as he addressed Rukia. "What happened...?"

"They... ended up drugging him..." The girl spoke in a soft voice. "He was getting worse..."

Jushiro dropped his face in his hands, not knowing what to do. He approached the white-haired boy, intending on placing a hand on the younger's shoulder, but he was stopped by Rukia telling him not to.

"Why?" Jushiro asked as he held his hand out mid-air.

"The nurse said not to touch him under any circumstances because it triggers him."

Jushiro sighed before he nodded. He sat down in the seat next to Shunsui and rested his head on the elder's shoulder.

Byakuya, however, just stood where he was. He kept his gaze fixed firmly on the boy, taking in every detail he could. Toshiro's eyes were unmoving as he stared at the one spot on the roof. His body shook and small whimpers could be heard on occasion. He knew exactly what this was; Toshirou had become traumatised.

"He's gone, Jushiro," Byakuya whispered as his eyes remained fixed on the child. "He's gone."

Jushiro scrunched his eyes shut, trying to stop the tears from falling as he grabbed Shunsui's kimono in a tight hold. He shook his head, not wanting to believe what he knew was the truth.

Unohana took this moment to return back to the room, poking her head in with Hanataro at her side.

"Ah, you are back." Unohana smiled at Jushiro and Byakuya. "He has settled down for now, but I'm afraid that he has a significant amount of trauma – both to his body and to his mind. I want to keep him for a few weeks – perhaps even a few months, depending on how he goes. I've already organised a physical therapist for him, but I would like for you to find him a psychologist when he is ready."

"He's not going to be ready..." Jushiro whispered, overcome with dread at his brother's condition. "He's never going to come out of this..."

"Don't give up hope, Ju-chan..." Shunsui grabbed his friend's hand, gripping tightly. "Toshirou is a strong boy. He's extremely strong. He's going to be okay. Maybe not for a long time, but he'll recover."

"Your friend is right," Unohana said in a soft tone.

Byakuya stayed silent throughout this whole ordeal, his past flashing before his eyes. He remembered how his own trauma had impacted greatly on him, making him withdraw from the world and hiding himself away with a cold, uncaring and superior attitude.

There was no way he could let Toshirou turn out the way he had, Byakuya knew. He had to help. He had just had to.


	8. Chapter 8

**A/N This chapter is very short, but it was originally chapter eight and nine combined. However, whilst JALU was busy with chapter seven for me, I asked my other friend for her opinion on this chapter as it seemed very… plot-paddy to me. She felt it would be better if I cut the rest of this chapter and moved it to chapter nine, so that is what has happened :) **

Despite two months having passed by, Tōshirō was only getting worse. This was slowly wearing down Jūshirō's mental state. He was exhausted, having stayed at the hospital all day every day and most nights to try and take care of his brother, but the way the younger would scream and cower whenever he came near Tōshirō was eating away at him, too.

Shunsui had tried his best to convince Jūshirō to at least spend the night at his home for a rest, but the Ukitake was stubborn and refused to leave his brother's side.

Matsumoto and Ichigo had been seeing Tōshirō as often as they could, while the rest of their group visited every now and then. Byakuya and Rukia seemed to show up nearly every day, the older Kuchiki staying true to his wish of wanting to help out in some way.

The problem was that Tōshirō's trauma was so extensive; it seemed that he couldn't even recognise his own brother, no matter what they tried to do to help him remember. The boy would only scream in terror whenever someone got close enough to touch him, or he would cry and hide under his blankets while his body shook convulsively. It might as well have been considered normal to sit in the chair opposite in silence and be stared at by wide, fearful eyes for as long as the child remained conscious.

Due to Tōshirō's behaviour, Unohana had taken Jūshirō aside and highly recommended putting the boy in a mental hospital so that he could 'receive the proper care he needed'. This had only caused Jūshirō to burst into tears and shout that he would do no such thing to his brother.

But now, as Jūshirō sat on the bed beside a sleeping Tōshirō, his thoughts strayed far away to the days where they were young. Tōshirō had always adored his brother in every way, due to the fact that the elder was the only one in Tōshirō's life who was willing to show him love and affection.

"I wonder…" Jūshirō murmured to himself as he brushed stray hairs out of the smaller's face. "…Would things have turned out differently if I was a better brother…? Tōshirō…"

As a single tear dripped down Jūshirō's cheek, the door opened and Isshin stepped in. His face held a reassuring smile as he moved to stand before the white-haired man.

"You may take Jūshirō home today if you so wish," Isshin said in a soft tone. "His body has healed up nicely, though it is still fragile, so it will be ideal for him to be somewhere he can rest for the next week or two. I highly recommend getting someone in to evaluate his state of mind, Jūshirō. He needs it."

Jūshirō nodded as he rubbed at his swollen eyes. "…I'll… see what I can do… Where are his forms? I want to get him out of here before he wakes up."

Isshin handed over a clipboard with paperwork on them. He pulled a pen out of his pocket and handed it over to the younger male next. It was silent as Jūshirō filled out as much as he possibly could before Isshin had bid them both good luck and left.

The Ukitake fumbled as he grabbed his phone from his pocket. He shakily dialled Shunsui's number, gasping for breath as he explained the situation to his friend and fought off an attack at the same time.

When he hung up, Jūshirō turned to face his brother, a sad smile on his face. "Shunsui is going to let us live with him from now on… He's so gentle and caring… I just wish that you would be good for him and appreciate what he's doing for us both…"

**-XX-**

An hour later found Jūshirō lowering his traumatised brother down on Shunsui's couch. Tōshirō had been sedated just before they left, having woken up in his brother's arms and started screaming in terror.

"He will be okay there, won't he…?" Jūshirō whispered to his friend.

"I'm sure he will be, Jū-chan." Shunsui smiled. "I think it's better for him to be where we can keep an eye on him instead of alone in a bedroom."

"…You're right." Jūshirō smiled before he turned back to his brother. He wasn't sure if the spiky-haired boy could hear what he was saying or not, but he had to say something. "Tōshirō, this is our home from now on. I love you so very much, but you've got to understand that you're safe with us. I promise."

Tōshirō didn't show any recognition of having heard him; he just stared at the wall opposite him with half-lidded eyes.

"Turn the TV on for him and we'll try and decide what to do from here on out," Shunsui whispered.

Jūshirō did as suggested and turned the television on. He flicked through channels before he found programs for young children. He lowered the volume just enough for Tōshirō to hear but low enough to keep from distracting the two adults.

Jūshirō watched his brother carefully for a few seconds, hoping desperately that the television would get at least a tiny reaction from the child – but as always, Tōshirō was unresponsive.

However, once Jūshirō and Shunsui had left the room, Tōshirō's unfocused eyes slowly drifted over to the television, unhearing but still seeing.

That was the first bit of progress he had made ever since Byakuya had brought him to the hospital. Tiny, but still progress.


	9. Chapter 9

Five days days had passed by and Shunsui could honestly say that there was something really wrong with Jūshirō. The man who had been happy and active for his entire life had hardly been getting out of bed and spending more than half the time in his mind. He was deeply concerned that with all the stress of Tōshirō and his parents, the Ukitake had finally snapped.

"Jū-chan, you've got to get up…" Shunsui shook the white-haired man's shoulder. "Come on; get up. You can't lie in bed all day."

Jūshirō just shook his head and pulled the comforter up more. He mumbled something that Shunsui didn't catch.

"Jū, please…" Shunsui grabbed the blanket and pulled at it, unintentionally starting a pulling war between him and the younger male.

"I'm fine…" Jūshirō's quivering voice gave away the fact that he wasn't. "I… I need time…"

"I know it's hard, but you can't do this," Shunsui whispered as he knelt by the bed and grabbed the white-haired man's hand. "You have to be strong, Jū. Tōshirō needs it."

At these words, a gasping sob escaped the young man's lips. Silent tears ran down pale cheeks as Jūshirō's body quivered. The elder was worried that Jushuro was going to have another attack, but it soon became clear that the Ukitake was just unable to hold back his emotions anymore.

Shunsui sat on the bed beside his friend and lifted the younger's head to rest in his lap. He stroked the head full of white hair as he hummed softly.

"It's okay…" Shunsui tried to soothe. "You don't need to be strong any longer… You've done so well to be where you are today… No one can ever take that from you, Jū-chan… Let it all out, okay? I'm here for you. Just… Cry…"

Jūshirō did as he was told, allowing his emotions to run free. Though he hated to be seen as weak, he knew that that was all he was now; weak. All he had been doing was crying. Oh, if his step-father could see him today…

**-XX-**

The two Kuchikis had arrived at Shunsui's home not long after Jūshirō cried himself back to sleep. Rukia sat out in the living room on the chair opposite Tōshirō, watching the TV as she spoke soft words to him. Byakuya was in the kitchen with Shunsui, sipping at a cup of tea as the elder poured himself another glass of sake.

"Tōshirō isn't doing very well," Shunsui explained as he glanced at the doorway that led to the living room. "And Jū-chan is becoming depressed, to make things worse. I'm really worried, Byakuya-kun."

"Ukitake has a right to be depressed." Byakuya sipped again at his tea. "He's been through a lot. He needs to get out and not be around his brother all the time. It'll make things worse for him."

"I agree. I think this is why he's struggling. He looks at Tōshirō and all he can remember is the things he's been through; about how he failed as a big brother. The thing is; he hasn't failed. He's still here. He's trying to fix things. He's too hard on himself."

Byakuya sighed as he placed his teacup down on the table. He stood up and looked swiftly to Shunsui. "He's always hard on himself. I'll go and talk to him."

"He's sleeping, Byakuya-kun."

"Doesn't matter. He needs to be told that he's making things worse, and I know you won't. You're too soft on him."

"He's my best friend, Byakuya-kun…" Shunsui frowned. "Of course I'm going to be patient and caring with him…"

"He's my best friend, too, Kyōraku," Byakuya growled as he walked out of the room, "which is why I'm going to do the exact opposite of what you want to do."

Shunsui could only watch in mute horror as Byakuya left the kitchen. Was the younger really going to be upfront about it…?

Byakuya didn't knock as he pushed open the white-haired man's bedroom door. Instead, he walked in and ripped the covers off Jūshirō's body. He remained emotionless as Jūshirō yelped in fright and fell out of bed.

"What do you think you're doing?" Byakuya asked in a cold voice as he surveyed the shaking man on the floor before him.

Jūshirō looked up with fearful eyes. "I-I…"

"Acting this way when your brother needs you…" Byakuya turned his lips up into a sneer. "How dare you do this to him. Behaving as if it were _you _who were beaten and raped. Let me tell you something, Ukitake; it was not _you _who was at my home _dying _– it was your _brother_, who is now on the couch, damaged almost beyond repair. You don't have the _right _to be doing this, Ukitake."

Tears dripped down Jūshirō's cheeks as he bowed his head. He knew the younger was right, but…

"You don't understand what it's like…" Jūshirō whispered as he rubbed at his eyes. "You have _no idea…"_

"Don't you _dare _give me that!" Byakuya – for the first time Jūshirō had ever heard – shouted. "It's _you _who doesn't understand! Why do you think I wanted him so much?! It's because I _know _what it's like to be beaten and raped! I knew you wouldn't be able to handle it, but you were the one who denied me by saying it was _your _responsibility! Where the _hell _are you now?! Lying in bed as if _you're _the victim! How do you think _Tōshirō_ feels?! You were the one acting all high and mighty and now you've all but dumped your _duty _off on your own _best friend –_ the same one who is doing you both a favour and allowing you to stay here!"

"B-byakuya –"

"Shut up!" Byakuya refused to let the elder speak. "You've made me so angry, Ukitake! Weren't you the one always encouraging _me _to not give up and keep living?! You were always there when I wanted to die! You kept me going, Ukitake, but look at _you! _You're doing the exact same thing you tried so hard to stop _me _from doing! If it were _my_ _sister _in place of _your brother, _you can bet that I certainly wouldn't be lying here moping around! Get _off_ your _ass_ and go help your _brother_! Stop playing the _damn_ victim, Ukitake!"

Ukitake couldn't speak; he was crying too heavily. He knew that Byakuya was right about everything, but that didn't mean he could just get up and do what he was supposed to be doing.

"…You…" Tears filled Byakuya's eyes as he realised Jūshirō wasn't going to listen, but he refused to allow them to fall. "…You just don't care!"

With that said, Byakuya stormed out of the bedroom, slamming the door closed behind him. He was aware of Rukia and Shunsui sitting by Tōshirō's couch; could hear the cries of fear said Hitsugaya was making.

The Kuchiki wiped at his eyes and took a deep breath before he approached the couch. He knelt down beside Shunsui and forced a smile onto his face. He struggled to keep it plastered there as he was not used to smiling, but he wanted so badly to help the poor child out.

"Hello, Tōshirō…" Byakuya spoke in a soft tone. "Do you… remember me…? I'm the one who found you, remember? I'm Byakuya…"

Tōshirō stopped moving around in what seemed to be discomfort as he heard Byakuya's voice. He blinked a few times before his eyes slowly locked onto Byakuya's face. The Kuchiki wasn't surprised to find that the younger's gaze stopped just underneath his eyes.

"Tōshirō, I'm sorry if I scared you…" Byakuya couldn't help but feel heartbroken at the child's blank expression. "I was just upset that your brother is feeling sad, too."

Shunsui and Rukia moved to back away and give Kuchiki some time alone with the boy, but their movement only triggered another cry and struggle from Tōshirō. It was almost as if he had forgotten that they were there.

"Tōshirō…" Byakuya spoke again, grabbing the child's attention. "Tōshirō, you don't have to be scared. I know how you feel, okay? I know it's a scary thing… It leaves you afraid of everyone around you… But that's why… I'm going to tell you this…"

Tōshirō's eyes widened in an unrecognisable emotion as Byakuya took a deep breath and allowed a tear to drip down his cheek.

"…I've been hurt just like you have…" Byakuya whispered. "…People did to me what they did to you…"

"…" Tōshirō couldn't help but let the floodgates open. Byakuya reached out hesitantly and grabbed the smaller hand in his own. He was surprised when Tōshirō not only allowed the contact, but whimpered his name. "_Bya_…"

"_Shh_…" Byakuya reached out and wiped at the tears with his thumb, noticing the flinches that Tōshirō struggled to withhold. "I'll _never_ hurt you, Tōshirō… Please understand that you're _not_ alone in this… No matter what, I'll never give up on you… I'll always be here for you… _Always_…"

Shunsui and Rukia, who were watching from afar, were shocked to see Tōshirō pull himself slowly towards Byakuya before nestling in against the warm body before him. It was even more surprising to find that Tōshirō not only allowed Byakuya to wrap an arm around him, but let the elder cry into him.

"I can't believe he's connected with _my_ brother instead of his own…" Rukia whispered to Shunsui.

Shunsui stood there and wiped at his eyes. "…That's because… he's found what he needed… Both of them have… It's just heartbreaking that Byakuya could find it in a _child_ and Tōshirō in someone he _barely_ knows instead of his own blood-brother…"

Rukia couldn't help but nod in agreement.


	10. Chapter 10

Days had passed and Shunsui's worry for Jūshirō had only grown, which was why he was now sitting in a doctor's office with said Ukitake.

"I'm sorry, but I'm not prescribing him anything," the doctor repeated himself for what was probably the fourth time. "I don't believe this calls for medication or even a psychologist."

"Look at him!" Shunsui pointed to his friend, pleading. "He hasbeen like this _for months_! He's lost so much weight and he's always sleeping and blaming himself, and – and _he's just not the same person I knew_!"

"Yes, yes; you've explained to me." The doctor waved his hand in a dismissive action. "He's his brother's carer, has a chronic illness that can kill him and he's had a neglectful upbringing. I'm not prescribing him anything. Take him away from the situation for a while and he'll be fine."

Shunsui couldn't believe the emotions he was feeling right now. He felt upset for his friend's condition to have been taken so lightly, scared for Jūshirō's safety, and angry for having taken the white-haired man to such an uncaring doctor.

"So, what, is he supposed to cut himself before you'll do anything?" Shunsui found himself hissing as he stood up. He pulled Jūshirō to his feet before he turned back to the man sitting at the desk. "Meant to have tried to kill himself? Oh, but wait; it's only his _situation, _so if he _was_ doing all that, you'd just say removehim, wouldn't you? Come on, Jū-chan; we're going to a doctor that actually _cares."_

If Shunsui hadn't been so angry, he would have noticed the way Jūshirō's arm retreated further into its sleeve as if he was hiding something. But, alas, he was too angry to notice anything out of the ordinary as he led the younger out of the doctor's clinic and into the car.

"Where are we going now…?" Jūshirō whispered as Shunsui pulled the car out of its park.

"We're going to see Kurosaki." Shunsui offered his friend a reassuring smile. "I'm sure he'll care."

Jūshirō nodded and turned to stare out of the window for the remainder of the trip.

**-XX-**

Byakuya sat on Shunsui's couch with Tōshirō's head in his lap. He was stroking the white hair as he sipped at his tea. The television played cartoons for the child's benefit while Byakuya amused himself with a book.

Minutes had passed in silence before Byakuya looked down at the tug on his sleeve. He saw the way Tōshirō was eyeing his cup off as he licked his lips.

Byakuya smiled as he carefully lifted Tōshirō into a sitting position before he placed the cup at the smaller male's lips. He tilted slowly, careful not to overfill Tōshirō's mouth. The boy sipped slowly for a few seconds, unable to take much liquid in without choking on it or spilling it down his front. He raised his hands and placed them over the Kuchiki's as he sipped.

"Thirsty, are you?" Byakuya whispered as he rubbed the boy's back. Tōshirō nodded before he settled back down in the elder's lap. "I can fix you a hot chocolate if you would like?"

Tōshirō grunted as he shook his head. Byakuya's smile widened as he resumed his petting of the Hitsugaya's hair.

Things were peaceful for a while. Tōshirō had just about drifted off to sleep and Byakuya was resting his eyes. However, all that was about to shatter. Just like the window did when the brick came flying through it.

Tōshirō screamed and buried himself in Byakuya's side. Byakuya wrapped his arms protectively as he turned to face the window. He bit his lip when he realised that he and Tōshirō were no longer alone in the small flat.

"Well, well…" A smooth voice spoke in a mocking tone. The voice belonged to a male that had silver hair and a very unsettling smile on his face. "Here we were, hopin' ta find a couple of fags; but instead we have a child and a rich orphan. Haven' we stumbled 'pon somethin', Aizen?"

Byakuya gathered Tōshirō into his arms and stepped away from the couch. He surveyed the group of males closely, recognising them instantly. They were the ones who were always harassing Shunsui and Jūshirō.

There was Sōsuke Aizen, a brunet that had defected from a group of peace-keepers and instead started his own gang. He was notorious for going after people who were weaker than himself and bringing certain members of the gang with him to attack them. Jūshirō and Shunsui had been his 'toys' for several years now, but why that was, no one seemed to know.

Gin Ichimaru, Aizen's second-in-command, was standing behind the brunet, his ever present smile on his face. Gin had a reputation for being merciless in whom he targets. He had gone after males, women and even small children. Along with Aizen, the cops had never really been able to link him to any of the crimes.

Grimmjow Jaegerjaquez and Ulquiorra Cifer were with Aizen and Gin. Grimmjow was ruthless and savage, willing to tear apart anyone and everyone. Ulquiorra was quiet, which made it hard to tell what he was thinking – and plotting.

Byakuya tried to settle Tōshirō, knowing that if a fight were to break out, he was outnumbered _and_ overpowered. He was strong and he could hold his own in a fight, but these men…

"What a cute kid he is." Gin's smile stayed the same, but there was something in his voice that made it clear what the male was thinking. Byakuya's blood ran cold. "I have ta say that I've already sampled him. He's a great fuck."

Byakuya gasped as a horrid realisation hit him. So it was _Aizen's _group that did this to Tōshirō… Well, that certainly explained the reaction from said boy that was worse than usual…

"Now, now, Gin, let's not get ahead of ourselves…" Aizen smirked as Byakuya's face paled. "We can kill this one and you can have him after. It will be troublesome if _he _is there to get in our way."

"You can't have him…" Byakuya hissed as he took a step back. "He's not a toy for your disgusting needs…"

Byakuya nearly missed when Grimmjow lunged at him, but he managed to avoid the blue-haired man just in time. With Tōshirō in his arms, he ran into Shunsui's bedroom and locked the door. Tōshirō was screaming and thrashing in the Kuchiki's arms, but there was nothing that could be done.

"Please…" Byakuya pleaded as he curled up in between the dresser and the wall. "Tōshirō, please… Be quiet…"

There was a lot of yelling and banging on the door as promises of a fate worse than death were screamed. Byakuya scrunched his eyes shut as he reached up and put his hands over his ears. He cursed now of all times for his Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder to trigger.

The banging and shouts seemed louder to Byakuya as the male relived past events over in his mind. Then, all of a sudden, it went silent – until a loud _bang! _sounded and a bullet entered the room. Both Byakuya and Tōshirō screamed as loud as they could, the two having lived through traumatising events that had involved guns.

More shots were fired, some barely missing the two huddled against the wall. Byakuya sobbed as his shoulder was grazed, certain that death was finally coming to claim him.

**-XX-**

Shunsui glanced over at Jūshirō, raising an eyebrow. The younger male hadn't spoken a word since Isshin had a private talk with him. He could understand that it was an extremely stressful time for the older sibling, but something was very, _very _wrong.

"Do you feel a bit better now that you have anti-depressants?" Shunsui asked, hating the silence. Jūshirō just nodded. "…So what did you two talk about…? Sending me out of the room like that; you nearly broke my heart!"

Shunsui had meant the last sentence as a joke, but when Jūshirō shrugged and apologised in a voice that was barely audible, the Kyōraku felt as if he couldn't take it any longer. He applied pressure to the brakes, having no real need to slow down except for wanting to close his eyes and hold back tears.

"…Is there something I don't know, Jū-chan…?" Shunsui whispered.

The addressed male nodded but didn't try to explain what was wrong. Instead, he just kept his eyes on the passing buildings.

Shunsui couldn't believe what was happening. He wanted so badly to make sure that his friend was okay, but Jūshirō was making it hard for that to happen.

"…Why don't you take off your sweater, Jū?" Shunsui asked, trying to change the subject. "It's rather warm out."

Jūshirō twitched at these words. He was silent for a few seconds, unmoving, until he spoke in a voice that was far too fearful for him. "…No…"

Shunsui knew, in the back of his mind, what Jūshirō was trying to hide, but how could he acknowledge something like _that? _The mere thought… of Jūshirō _hurting _himself on purpose… It made Shunsui want to curl up and cry.

"…My boss wants me back at work tomorrow…" Shunsui spoke in an attempt to distract himself from the vivid mental picture of Jūshirō holding a knife at his wrist.

The white-haired man nodded but made no effort to say anything. A lone tear dropped from Shunsui's chin. Not another word was spoken until Shunsui had the car parked out the front of his home ten minutes later.

"Shunsui-kun!"

Shunsui turned as his neighbour shouted his name in worry. He approached the old lady who lived next door to him.

"What's wrong, Sora-chan?" Shunsui asked as he reached out to hold the lady's trembling hands. "Is everything okay?"

"Thank goodness you weren't home!" The old lady – Sora – whimpered as she wrapped frail arms around the brown-haired man. "The police are on their way! Don't go inside!"

Shunsui's eyes widened at these words. "W-what?!"

"I heard lots of screaming!" Tears were now dripping down Sora's cheeks as he looked up into the taller man's eyes. "At first I thought it was just the boy you're looking after, but… Then I heard it! Gunshots! Lots of them!"

"T-tōshirō…!" Jūshirō whimpered before he started to run towards his friend's flat. He gasped as Shunsui grabbed his arm, stopping him. "L-let me go! Tōshirō!"

"Jū, you can't go in there!" Shunsui tried to pull his friend back. "We shouldn't even _be _out here! Come on!"

"No! My brother!" Tears of pain welled up in Jūshirō's eyes as the elder's grip on his arm tightened. "S-shunsui! L-let go! Y-you're hurting m-me!"

"I'm not letting you go in there!" Shunsui shouted as he started to drag the smaller male towards Sora's flat. "It's too dangerous!"

"But Tōshirō - !"

"Byakuya is in there, too, Jūshirō!" Shunsui – for the first time ever – snapped at his friend. "Show some concern for _him, _too!"

Jūshirō's reply couldn't be heard as the wailing of police sirens drowned him out. There were shouts and car doors slamming and a group of cops ran to Shunsui's flat. A short, balding man approached the old lady and two males.

"You're Kyōraku, right?" The officer asked as he glanced towards said male's flat.

"Yes..." Shunsui unconsciously tightened his hold on his friend's arm in panic. "Please, two of my friends are in there!"

"Calm down..."

"My brother is in there!" Jūshirō shouted as he struggled to break free. "My brother!"

"Sir!"

Both Shunsui and Jūshirō, along with the officer, turned their heads at a shout from behind them. They saw a group of policemen running towards them from the flat. Byakuya was among them, looking dazed. Tōshirō was in his arms, unmoving.

"Sir, we couldn't find anyone else in the house!" A taller officer arrived by the balding one's side. "These two were locked inside a bedroom. They're hurt but the black-haired one won't let anyone touch him."

Jūshirō howled as he ripped at his hair, crying hysterically. Shunsui had never thought he would see the younger like this – but here he was, and it was a heartbreaking sight.

Shunsui glanced at the Kuchiki. Said male was shaking violently, his eyes darting back and forth but not taking anything in. His grip on the Hitsugaya in his arms looked like it would have hurt Tōshirō had the white-haired boy been conscious. It was clear that Byakuya was terrified.

"He's just scared," Shunsui explained as he reached out to grab his friend's hand. He ignored the flinch the younger graced him with and pressed forward.

"D-don't..." the raven-haired male whimpered as he pulled away. Shunsui had been correct in assuming that Byakuya was locked away in his memories again.

"Byakuya-kun, it's me..." Shunsui murmured as he touched the smaller man's shoulder. "Shunsui. It's okay. No one is going to hurt you now. Calm down..."

"I-I..." Tears slipped down Byakuya's cheeks as he raised Tōshirō against his chest. "P-please..."

"Byakuya-kun..." Shunsui lifted his hand and cupped the younger's face. "Byakuya-kun, you are not_ there _any longer. You're here with me, and Jūshirō and Tōshirō. You are _not _going to be hurt."

"T-Tōshirō..." Byakuya whispered the name as if it were a foreign word. "...Tōshirō..."

"Yes, and Jūshirō is here, too." Shunsui pointed to acknowledged man that was standing behind him. "It's okay, Byakuya-kun. You are safe."

Byakuya blinked slowly a few times as if he were coming out of a trance. He looked around at his surroundings slowly. A small sob escaped from his lips as he realised what was going on. He flinched when the pain in his shoulder finally made itself known. He raised a hand and grabbed at his shoulder.

The two police officers who had been watching this interaction had stayed silent until they noticed this.

"There is an ambulance on its way out," the balding man spoke.

Byakuya flinched at the unknown voice and moved to stand behind Shunsui. He glanced at Jūshirō with pleading eyes, wanting the white-haired male to take away his pain.

"Byakuya-kun, Jūshirō is in no shape to help you right now..." Shunsui whispered as he noticed this. "Will you let me help instead?"

The Kuchiki glanced down at the ground for a few seconds before he nodded. He stepped closer but was careful to avoid making physical contact.

"Is Tōshirō okay?" Shunsui asked, knowing that Byakuya wasn't going to speak about it but the Ukitake would want to know.

Byakuya nodded. He spoke slowly, whispering. "I... took it for him..."

"'Took it'?" Shunsui looked confused at this. "What do you mean?"

"...The bullet..." A lone tear dripped down Byakuya's cheek. "...It hurts..."

Shunsui wrapped an arm around his friend's shoulder. "Where?"

"...Side… And shoulder…"

Shunsui rested his face in the raven hair as he tried not to cry. "…Let me see it…"

Byakuya nodded. He placed his hand on the hem of his shirt but hesitated to lift it. It was only with reassurance from Shunsui that he was not going to be harmed did he lift the shirt.

Shunsui's heart shattered as he looked at the blood caking his friend's hip. From the look of things, Byakuya had been lucky because it appeared that the bullet had not hit anything vital and had a clear path out.

"As soon as the ambulance gets here, you are getting it checked…" Shunsui whispered as Byakuya pulled down his shirt with the air of someone afraid of being touched.

"I-I…" Byakuya licked at his lips as he started to run his hand through Tōshirō's hair. "…I…"

"I get it," Shunsui tried to reassure the Kuchiki. "I get that you're scared and that having strangers touch you is very hard, but you're hurt, Byakuya-kun."

Tears dripped down Byakuya's face as the younger started to hyperventilate. As soon as the ambulance arrived, there was a struggle between the paramedics and Byakuya – and eventually Shunsui and Tōshirō, once the younger awoke in Kyōraku's arms – until finally, Byakuya had given in and allowed the touches, despite his terror.

Tōshirō was a different story. The child had resisted so badly that he had to be sedated in order for paramedics to check him over for injuries. Shunsui was glad that neither male had any serious harm done to them and that the worst was shock.

But despite what the younger ones had just gone through, Shunsui couldn't help but think that out of all of them, Jūshirō was the worst off. Said male had just curled up on the ground, unmoving. It seemed as if the white-haired man had lost every last bit of strength and willpower he had in him.

Shunsui couldn't blame him though.


	11. Chapter 11

A week had passed since Aizen and his group had attacked Byakuya and Tōshirō. Ever since then, Shunsui had been forced to care for not only Tōshirō, but for Jūshirō and even Byakuya to an extent.

It wasn't that Shunsui minded – oh, not at all – but he was unable to fully come to terms with the way Jūshirō was now. No longer could he look in the smaller man's eyes and see the strength and love that had once been present. Despair, mixed with anger and a bit of hatred was all that could be seen in those once-shining eyes.

Byakuya, however, was doing fairly well considering that he had been triggered terribly to the point of being unable to leave Shunsui and Jūshirō's side for the first three days.

As Shunsui walked back out into the living room, prepared for his daily fight with Tōshirō about having a bath, he couldn't help but feel just a tad lonely. Jūshirō had always been with him, but now it felt as if the Ukitake he knew and loved was gone forever.

"Tōshirō-kun…" Shunsui knelt by the couch and reached out for the boy's hand. He didn't flinch when Tōshirō screamed nonsense at him as he recoiled in fear. "Tōshirō-kun, time for your bath."

As much as Tōshirō resisted him at first, Shunsui knew that the white-haired child would eventually exhaust himself to the point where he could only lay in the raven's arms and cry himself to sleep as he sat in the bath.

Shunsui didn't know how much more of this he could take. He had a job that was highly demanding and he had already taken enough days off to be in danger of losing his job. The problem was that he couldn't leave Jūshirō alone to take care of the boy, and Byakuya couldn't spend all of his time here to do what Jūshirō was supposed to be doing.

Speaking of Jūshirō, Byakuya was supposed to be here soon to try and have another talk with the white-haired man.

Tōshirō had finally stopped struggling and his throat was hoarse. He was limp as Shunsui picked him up and carried him to the bathroom.

"Bya…" Tōshirō sobbed, whimpering for Byakuya. Shunsui had noticed that ever since the incident with Aizen, the Hitsugaya had been crying for the Kuchiki quite often. "Bya…"

"He'll be here soon, Tōshirō-kun," Shunsui whispered as he kicked the bathroom door closed behind him. He had already filled the bathtub with water, knowing that it would make things easier. He slowly stripped the boy of his clothing, trying to avoid as many touches to bare skin as he could. "I believe he has something for you for being such a good boy for him."

Tōshirō's tired eyes moved to the taller man's. He blinked a few times, unable to take in the other's words properly due to the thoughts running amok in his mind. He stared as he was slipped into the bath, finally coming to terms with the realisation that bath time with this man wasn't so bad. Sure, there was lots of touching, but there wasn't _that _touching…

"Bya…" Tōshirō moaned lowly as Shunsui's gentle hand caressed his cheek.

"He's coming…" Shunsui reassured as he ran a soapy washcloth over the boy's chest. "He's on his way. He hasn't forgotten about you."

Tōshirō's tired eyes were locked on Shunsui's figure throughout the entire bath. He twitched and struggled in a weak manner as the man's hands came too close to his lower area for comfort, but Shunsui never touched him there, thankfully.

After his bath, Tōshirō was wrapped in a towel and carried out to the living room before he was redressed in clean clothes. Just as his eyes drifted shut and he fell into a deep sleep, Byakuya walked through the door. The man's black jumper and white scarf were present, telling Shunsui that the man was having a bad day; unless it was cold, he only covered himself up like this when he was afraid or upset. It was far from cold outside.

"Byakuya, I'm so glad you could make it," Shunsui greeted as he stood up from the couch. "I'm already late for work so there are fresh teabags on the counter and if there's anything you need, don't hesitate to ring me, okay?"

Byakuya nodded, his eyes downcast. He stepped closer towards the couch, glancing at the child he had come to love.

"Jū is in the room so please convince him to at least leave the bed for a while." With that, Shunsui was gone.

Byakuya sighed as he walked to the bedroom where he knew Jūshirō would be. He didn't bother to knock, not seeing the importance of it. He pushed the door open and stepped in, ready to poke and prod Jūshirō until he gave in and had a cup of tea with him.

"Ukitake, I – _Ukitake!" _All thoughts of tea had left his mind when Byakuya saw his friend.

Blood. Blood stained the white sheets of the bed. Blood had made itself known in the brown carpet by the bed. Blood was glinting off the blade of the knife in Jūshirō's hand. But the scariest thing of all was the blood that was soaking Jūshirō's sleeve.

Byakuya could only open and close his mouth soundlessly before he ran forward and ripped the knife from the taller man's hand. He locked eyes with Jūshirō, unable to understand what he was seeing. And then it all sunk in. Jūshirō had been cutting his wrists.

_Slap!_

"H-how could you?!" Byakuya shouted as he pulled his hand back from Jūshirō's cheek. Tears welled up as he stared at what had once been an unmarred wrist. "Ukitake, you know better than anyone that cutting doesn't help anything!"

Jūshirō dropped his gaze as he wrapped his still-bleeding arm in his shirt. He didn't know what to say. Even Shunsui didn't know that he had been doing that to himself.

Byakuya's stern gaze softened once he saw the way Jūshirō struggled to prevent himself from hyperventilating. The elder's body quivered and sobs were muffled.

_He's going through a lot… _Byakuya thought to himself as he watched his friend. _He really _does _have a lot to be depressed about… Am I being too hard on him? He's always… been patient and understanding with me… He's only ever had that from Kyōraku… Hell, even I… haven't been that great a friend to him… I've ignored him and told myself that his problems aren't as big as mine…_

Byakuya sighed and moved to sit on the bed beside the white-haired man.

_I've told myself that he wasn't beaten, nor was he raped, so he couldn't possibly understand how it feels to want to die. But when I think about it… He has a sickness that could claim his life right now if it wanted to… He's been neglected his entire life… He's had to put up with an abusive family… And his brother – the most important person in his life – is terrified of him… Would I… do the same if it were Rukia and I in his position…? _

_But most of all… Do I honestly _want _to die…? Looking at his wrists…_

Byakuya was silent as he lifted his sleeve, careful to avoid touching certain parts. He had never shown anyone his arms before – not even Rukia – because he was always hiding his arms one way or another. He would wear a black jacket if it were cold, and he was always wearing white fingerless tekko that extended up his arms. A part of him knew that Rukia suspected something due to the constant coverage, but she had never said anything about it to him.

Jūshirō stared at the scarred wrists that had so hesitantly been presented to him. He reached out slowly before he ever so gently wrapped his hand around the self-inflicted wounds. He was aware of the way Byakuya was flinching and he understood how hard it was for the younger male to hold himself still when he so desperately wanted to pull back.

"You…" Jūshirō whispered as he lifted his head to look at his friend. "…I'm so sorry… I didn't know…"

Byakuya nodded. He reached out and pried Jūshirō's fingers away from him, murmuring an apology as he did so. He carefully slipped his tekko back on and lowered his sleeve.

"You shouldn't apologise…" Byakuya muttered as he rubbed his itching eye. "I… I put myself before you, thinking you couldn't possibly have it as bad as I do… I didn't understand then, and I still don't understand now, but… I guess everyone's pain is different…"

Jūshirō stifled a sob at these words. "I…"

"I can get it now…" Byakuya looked down at his hands. "…I can see that despite my pain controlling my life… to others, it may be an insignificant, petty incident that I should have gotten over years ago… And what I think is trivial… _your _pain, Jūshirō… Well, it's exactly the same…"

"Does Rukia know…?" Jūshirō couldn't think of anything to say to his friend regarding his small speech.

"I don't know… Jūshirō…" A small spark of hope lit up in the Kuchiki's eyes. "…Promise me you will never tell me that I don't understand again… And I'll promise you I won't say it to you… Kyōraku can't promise it because he can't understand such crippling pain, but… I promise I'll always stand by your side when others won't, because you've always been there for me when _I _couldn't be."

A small smile crossed Jūshirō's face as he nodded. "…I… I'll always stand by you, too, Byakuya…"

Byakuya nodded. "Let's put a bandage on that and then have tea together."

Jūshirō's smile never left his face. "It… sounds good to me."

"Bya…"

Byakuya turned at his name with wide eyes, shocked to find that Tōshirō was walking – though it was more like staggering – towards them. A large smile crossed his face as he opened his arms, encouraging Tōshirō to come to him.

"You're such a good little boy…" Byakuya buried his face in the spiky hair once Tōshirō was situated on his lap. He knew that Jūshirō was watching them with a broken heart, unable to bear the sight of his own _brother _having chosen someone other than him to find solace in. "Tōshirō, would you do something for me?"

Tōshirō observed Byakuya with wide eyes as if he were trying to figure out what in the world Byakuya could possibly want.

"I want you to let your brother hug you." Byakuya tilted his head towards the white-haired man. He wasn't surprised when Tōshirō let out a loud gasp, but this was something he should have done a long time ago instead of selfishly keeping the boy to himself. "He loves you with all his heart, Tōshirō. Seeing you like this makes him very sad. I know you don't want anyone to be sad, so please do it. For me, at least."

Tōshirō sniffled once as he though it over. He nodded after a minute and slowly crawled off of Byakuya's lap. He cautiously made his way towards the taller male who had been watching them with tears in his eyes. With one look back at Byakuya for reassurance, he closed the distance between he and his brother.

Jūshirō couldn't help but cry as he ever-so-slowly wrapped his arms around his precious sibling. He glimpsed back at Byakuya, sending him a grateful look before he turned back to the child in his arms.

"Tōshirō…" Jūshirō whispered, unable to believe this was happening. For too long had he been unable to get close to the younger. "Shiro-chan, I love you so much… Please, stop pushing me away… I only want to help. Please…"

Tōshirō looked back at his self-appointed guardian. When Byakuya nodded, Tōshirō hesitantly reached up and grabbed at Jūshirō's shirt. He buried his face into the elder's chest, taking in the scent that had once been his comfort blanket but was now unrecognisable.

Byakuya sipped at his tea as he watched the two siblings embrace. He couldn't stop the smile that made itself known. He knew that he had just helped both Jūshirō and Tōshirō take their next step forward. He had a feeling that things would be just a little easier for them all now.

**-XX-**

When Shunsui walked into his home that night, he couldn't help but smile at the sight of the two men and Tōshirō curled up together on the floor sleeping.

"Byakuya-kun…" Shunsui leant down and gently shook the Kuchiki awake. "Byakuya-kun, it's time to wake up."

Byakuya blinked slowly as he sat up. "What time is it…?"

"It's dinnertime." Shunsui was happy to notice that Byakuya had gotten enough confidence to shed his scarf and jumper sometime throughout the day. "I bought dinner home with me. Wake the other two up while I get everything ready."

Byakuya nodded. Just as his elder had gone to leave, he reached out and grabbed the black-haired man's wrist.

"What's wrong?" Shunsui asked.

"…" Byakuya licked his lips before he answered. "…Ukitake and I spoke… We decided that if we go together, we'll both see professionals…"

Shunsui's eyes lit up at these words. He reached out and grabbed Byakuya's shoulder, wanting to hug him but knowing better than to attempt it. Instead, he squeezed the slim shoulder beneath his calloused hand, overjoyed at these words.

It was no secret that Byakuya was in desperate need of specialist counselling, but his pride had prevented him from even thinking about seeing one. Though Jūshirō's state of mind wasn't as fragile as the Kuchiki's, he needed to talk to someone as well and try and get help before he _did _wind up like Byakuya. And then Tōshirō… The boy would need extensive therapy – probably for the rest of his life.

"I'm glad you're finally doing this…" Shunsui whispered as he removed his hand from Byakuya's shoulder. "You don't understand how much Jūshirō and myself have wanted to hear those words from you."


	12. Chapter 12

**A/N Forgive me if there are any mistakes in this chapter as I was a bit drunk when I wrote it. However, during my drunken state, I realised exactly how I want to end this fic. This chapter will be mostly full of details, while the next chapter will most likely be a timeskip so I can start off the last arc.**

The hardest thing that Shunsui had ever been through in his entire _life _was finding out that _both _of his best friends cut themselves. It had been a month after Jūshirō's very first appointment with a clinical psychologist when Shunsui had found this out. He had been picking his friend up from his appointment when Jūshirō had finally confided in him about it.

When Shunsui had found out about Byakuya, it had been when he was sitting in on a session with the younger man and the psychologist had gently coaxed Kuchiki into telling Shunsui.

Shunsui understood that they had their reasons to _want _to hurt themselves, but seeing as the worst thing in life he had gone through was being abandoned as a baby, he couldn't really understand what could actually _drive _them to inflict harm purposely. The only things he had ever had to worry about in life was when he was getting his next bottle of sake, honestly.

At least he knew now, Shunsui had thought once he had been given a day to process the information. At least he was now able to watch them closely and look for the signs that something was just not right.

Tōshirō had been doing okay. His first session had been with a clinical neuropsychologist due to both his head injury and Post-Traumatic-Stress Disorder. The neuropsychologist, Yadōmaru Lisa, had been a very close friend of Shunsui's and could have been considered lovers by most – until Ise Nanao came along and got together with Kyōraku. The brunet knew that Lisa would accept Tōshirō as a patient and do her best with him, which was why he had personally gone through a lot of trouble to have the Hitsugaya referred to her.

Currently, Shunsui was sitting on the couch with Nanao, waiting for Byakuya to come back home with Jūshirō and Tōshirō. The brown-haired man was taking advantage of the time he had alone with his girlfriend, having been so occupied with his friends and catching up with work that he had not been able to see her for several months.

"How are they doing?" Nanao asked, having been extremely understanding and patient with her lover.

Shunsui pulled his lips away from Nanao's neck so that he could answer. His pants were feeling rather tight but he knew that there was more to a relationship than just sex – even if he was always begging for it.

"The two older ones are coming along and Tōshirō-kun doesn't scream at the sight of me anymore. He doesn't like it when I touch him, but he doesn't scream."

Nanao smiled. "That's good. I don't believe I have met Tōshirō before."

"You haven't. Poor boy was never allowed out of the house. Hell, even when I would come over and spend the night with Jūshirō, their parents never even allowed him out of his _room._ Jūshirō would wait until they went to bed and sneak him into the room with us."

"That's so sad…" Nanao frowned.

"Well, he has friends," Shunsui reassured. "They care very much. They come over every now and then, but school and Tōshirō's behaviour has been making things hard for them."

"I don't blame them."

"He'll be here shortly. Please, don't take it personally if he reacts badly to you. His own brother couldn't get near him for the first few months."

Nanao nodded. "I'll be nice."

Shunsui returned to attacking the female's neck with his lips. He ignored the throbbing sensation between his legs and instead slipped his hand down the younger's side and onto the waistband of her shorts.

"Your room…" Nanao breathed, moaning softly as the man's fingers slipped inside of the material and touched her. "Now…"

Shunsui chuckled as his fingers ran over sensitive skin. "Can't. Jūshirō sleeps in there with me. Can't do it here, either. Tōshirō has the couch."

Nanao groaned in annoyance. "Then… Where…?"

A sly smirk crossed Shunsui's face at this question. "Why, the shower, of course."

Nanao grinned, suppressing a loud moan as Shunsui's fingers moved inside of her.

**-XX-**

By the time Byakuya had brought the car back to Shunsui's home with the two siblings in tow, said males were fast asleep. The Kuchiki parked safely along the road before he got out and pulled Tōshirō into his arms first. He glanced at Jūshirō, knowing that the older would have been absolutely exhausted, and decided against waking him up.

Byakuya cradled the Hitsugaya protectively in his arms as he walked back to the small flat. He pulled the key from his pocket and unlocked the front door.

"Mm…" Tōshirō stirred in the Kuchiki's arms.

"Shh…" Byakuya raised a hand and stroked the white hair in a soothing manner. "Go back to sleep…"

Tōshirō's eyes fluttered open for a few seconds, staring inquisitively at his guardian, before he went back to his slumber. It had been a big day for him – his first day out in town shopping in his entire _life._

Byakuya wondered where Shunsui was as he walked into the living room. He decided not to dwell on it too much, seeing as he knew that Nanao was coming over today and, knowing Shunsui, they were probably holed up in the bedroom together.

Byakuya laid Tōshirō down on the couch, pulling the blanket over the sleeping boy before he left for Jūshirō.

**-XX-**

Shunsui and Nanao lay in the bed, panting heavily as they held each other. They had cleaned out the shower and redressed, Shunsui in jeans and his pink kimono while Nanao had borrowed her lover's white pants and a shirt that was far too big on her.

They heard someone opening the front door and assumed that Byakuya had returned. Shunsui sighed as he sat up and stretched.

"Guess the fun is over." Shunsui pouted as he leaned over and placed a soft kiss on his girlfriend's lips. "Come on, Nanao-chan."

The two left the bedroom and entered the kitchen instead, preparing a pot of tea for everyone while Shunsui grabbed his usual bottle of sake. When the front door opened again, Shunsui peeked out from the kitchen, seeing Byakuya carrying the white-haired male bridal style.

Shunsui laughed as he stepped out to greet his two friends. "What did you do to him, Byakuya-kun?"

Byakuya rolled his eyes. "He's just sleeping…"

A small cough startled the two males as Jūshirō started to stir in the Kuchiki's arms. The ill male looked up with lidded eyes, probably wondering what was going on.

"Byakuya…" Jūshirō moaned as he coughed again. "W-where's… Tōshirō…?"

"He's on the couch," Byakuya said in a calm tone. "Did you want to continue resting in Kyōraku's room?"

"No…"

Nanao came to stand beside Shunsui as she heard Jūshirō's weak voice. She had only met Jūshirō and Byakuya a few times, but she knew that the Ukitake was one of the nicest people you could ever meet. It concerned her to know that his illness – whatever it was, as she hadn't exactly been told – was playing up again.

"I have tea," Nanao offered as she returned to the kitchen in order to pour a cup for the suffering man. "It'll make you feel better."

Shunsui carefully took Jūshirō from Byakuya's arms and carried him over to the table. He tucked the smaller man's head under his chin and held him, humming softly. Jūshirō reached up and grabbed the pink kimono Shunsui was rarely seen without, content with being held. They hadn't done this for a while. They used to cuddle all the time out of affection, but then Nanao came along and the Kyōraku had focused all of his affection onto her.

"What did you do today, Ju-chan?" Shunsui whispered as he ran a hand along the small of his friend's back, knowing that on top of his exhaustion, his chest was tightening again from his illness. He knew how to read Jūshirō's body language perfectly to know what was bothering him when it came to his illness.

Jūshirō's voice had a hint of wheezing in it as he replied quietly. "We took Tōshirō shopping… And Byakuya bought us some things…"

Shunsui smiled as he cupped Jūshirō's cheek. He was well aware that the way they interacted with each other lead many people to the assumption of having a more than friendly relationship, but the physical side of things was nothing more than pure affection and complete comfort.

When Nanao approached them, she cleared her throat before she handed a cup of tea to her lover. She never liked seeing the two act like this as all it did was make her immensely jealous.

"Last time I checked, _we _were partners…" Nanao frowned as she sat down opposite the two males. She glanced at Byakuya, finding him fussing over the child; she vaguely wondered what he thought about the situation. "Not you and _Jūshirō-san."_

Shunsui laughed. "My dear Nanao-chan! There is nothing more than the pure love of best friends between us! You know you're my only one. Besides; Jū-chan is ill. What kind of best friend would I be if I didn't try and soothe his pain?"

Nanao raised an eyebrow. "You can do that _without _acting intimate. Get your hands off him."

"I love it when you're jealous." Shunsui chuckled as he carefully placed his friend on the chair next to him. "There, now. Is that better, Nanao-chan?"

Nanao nodded. "Much."

"I apologise, Nanao-chan…" Jūshirō rasped. "I-I didn't mean to impose…"

"It's okay." Nanao was careful to smile just enough to defuse the elder's feelings of guilt, but still sound stern enough to let him know that it wasn't to happen again.

"Byakuya-kun, come join us!" Shunsui called as he took a gulp of his sake. "Bring the boy with you!"

The Kuchiki scowled as he carefully lifted Tōshirō up and into his arms. The boy stirred once again, his grip on the little blue dragon teddy in his arms tightening.

"Where did he get that?" Shunsui asked as he noticed said toy.

"I bought it for him," Byakuya said as he moved to join the others at the table. "Didn't know he liked dragons until he asked Ukitake if he could have it."

"He's speaking now?" Shunsui grinned. "That's great!"

"Yes. He is. He doesn't talk much still, but he's talking nonetheless."

Nanao smiled at the boy before her. "He's gorgeous."

"He is." Jūshirō smiled at the woman. "Urahara-san said it was a shame about everything that had happened to him."

"Urahara?" Nanao questioned. "You mean Kisuke?"

"Yes." Jūshirō gestured to Byakuya. "He's our psychologist. We've known him for a while and he was willing to take us aboard."

Nanao smiled. "He's good. He knows what he's doing."

There was silence for a few seconds as everyone did their own thing. When Tōshirō's eyes opened, he looked at Nanao, confusion and fear in his gaze.

"Relax, Shiro-chan," Jūshirō whispered. "This is Nanao-chan. She's Shun's girlfriend. She's nice."

Tōshirō turned wide eyes to Byakuya for confirmation. He smiled and nodded in agreement. The Hitsugaya looked back at Nanao.

"…H-hi…" Tōshirō whispered.

Nanao sent a warm smile back at the damaged child. "Hello."

Tōshirō looked up at his brother expectantly, having learnt that he would be rewarded with candy for interacting positively with others – even if he didn't want candy in the first place.

Jūshirō grinned and reached into his pocket, resurfacing with a handful of sweets. He couldn't help but feel overjoyed at the progress his brother was making.


	13. Chapter 13

**A/N This is the last arc. Before you read it, I just want to say that this is more of a redemption, overcoming-trauma-in-times-of-need kind of ending. That's why this arc will hint towards a lot of abuse, though it isn't too graphic.**

Two and a half years had passed without much incident for Tōshirō. He had recovered fairly well, considering how extensive his trauma had been. For the past year and a half, he had been smiling and laughing along with Shunsui and his ridiculous drunken statements, and had even been requesting to go into town of his own free will – with one of his three guardians, of course. Hell, he had even become best friends with Hinamori Momo who lived next door.

On top of Tōshirō's recovery, Jūshirō had done just as well. His cuts were merely scars that marked his pale skin and had resumed his happy and positive outlook on life. Though there were still periods where his depression won over him, it wasn't nearly as bad as it had been before.

Byakuya… Well, Byakuya was Byakuya, and Shunsui and Jūshirō doubted that would ever change. At least he had stopped hurting himself as well and was more caring towards others, even if his personality was still distant and untrusting.

Currently, Jūshirō and Tōshirō were sitting on the lawn out the front of Shunsui's home, smiling and laughing together. Byakuya had been there earlier to join them, but he had gone home in order to care for Rukia, who was coming down with the flu.

That left just the two siblings and Shunsui. While said Kyōraku had just been out there before with the brothers, he had returned to the flat to bring out some refreshments.

"Shiro-chan, are you glad to be back at school?" Jūshirō smiled at his brother, happy that the younger had finally decided to return back to school after all this time.

Tōshirō smiled shyly and hugged his blue dragon, Hyōrinmaru. Ever since Byakuya had bought him the stuffed toy, it had gone everywhere and done everything with the white-haired boy. He even brought it to school with him, which the teachers and most of the other students were understanding about. Even Ichigo and his group supported Tōshirō's love for Hyōrinmaru.

Before Tōshirō could say anything, however, a gag was shoved into his mouth from behind. His eyes widened and he dropped Hyōrinmaru out of panic. He spun around to see who was attacking him, but a cry of pain from his brother had him turning back around. His eyes watered at the sight of blood flowing down the side of Jūshirō's face as said man collapsed to the ground in unconsciousness.

Tōshirō screamed into the gag as he was picked up, memories that he had not thought about for quite a while playing before his eyes once again. And then, it all went black.

**-XX-**

When Shunsui returned back to the front lawn a few minutes later, he was surprised to see that neither Tōshirō nor Jūshirō was in sight. He shrugged, thinking that they must have decided to take a walk around the block again, and turned to go back into the house – until something small and blue caught his eye.

"Hyōrinmaru…?" Shunsui carefully picked the dragon up from the ground. He became worried, knowing that there was no way Tōshirō could have just forgotten about him. Shunsui looked around as he clutched the toy to his chest, but that's when it all became clear.

Just as Shunsui had gotten to his feet, ready to ask the neighbours if they had seen anything, it had glinted, catching his attention. Blood. There were small specks of blood, not only on the blades of grass, but on the pavement.

"No…" Shunsui felt horror filling him as the situation dawned on him. "No…!"

**-XX-**

Tōshirō's eyes opened slowly, only to find that he was in a dark room with no windows and chained to a filthy bed. He whimpered, reaching around in desperation to find his precious dragon, but it was nowhere to be found.

"H-hyōrinmaru…!" Tōshirō whimpered as tears started to drip down his cheeks. He curled up in a ball, not understanding what was going on. The last thing he remembered was having a playful conversation with his brother and jokingly making fun of Shunsui, and then… the fear… A-and the blood, and – Jūshirō!

"J-jūshirō…!" Tōshirō moaned as he got to his feet. He was aware that there was another bed against the wall on the opposite side of the room, but apart from that, everything was barren.

As if his cries had been heard, the only door to the room was thrown open and an unfamiliar man stepped in with his naked brother slung over his shoulder.

Tōshirō screamed as he fell back onto his bed. "W-who are you?!"

The man looked at Tōshirō with a calm gaze. He had brunet hair and was rather tall. He wore a furry jacket and looked as if he were very bored.

"Who am I?" the man repeated incredulously as he carefully lowered Jūshirō onto the unoccupied bed. "My name is Coyote Starrk. How could you not know who I am?"

Tōshirō's lip quivered as he glanced at his brother. "…Will… Will he be okay…?"

Starrk nodded. "He's fine. I made sure the others didn't hurt him too badly. Is he sick or something? He was coughing up blood before he passed out."

Tōshirō nodded meekly. "I-I… Why haven't you hurt me…?"

Starrk stared silently at the child for a few minutes before he answered. "Because you're a child and not an enemy. Nor is he."

Tōshirō blinked as Starrk gestured at Jūshirō with his thumb. If that was true… Then why were they here…?

"Aizen will be here shortly," Starrk said as he turned to leave. "Not sure what they want, but you'd better hope that they take it easy with him after what the others were doing."

Tōshirō didn't want to know what his brother had gone through. He just wanted to curl up in Jūshirō's arms and cry and never have to see anyone else ever again, even if that meant staying trapped in that tiny, dreadful room.

It felt like forever before the door opened again. Tōshirō's heart jumped in terror as Aizen stepped into the room with Gin and Tosen behind him.

"Look at what we have here…" Aizen's smirk was full of danger as he surveyed the two siblings. "One is untouched while the other looks as if he's had the shit beaten out of him."

For the first time since their arrival, Tōshirō noticed the blood and bruises that adorned his brother's naked body. How could he _not _have noticed such a thing…?

"May I have him now, sir?" Gin's smile was predatory as he fixed half-opened eyes on Tōshirō.

Aizen smirked. "Do as you will. I'm going to have my fun with this one. Tosen, go retrieve Grimmjow and Ulquiorra for me."

Tosen left silently while Gin approached Tōshirō. Said boy crawled as far away from Gin as he could, horrified beyond words. He cried as the silver-haired male grabbed him and pulled him into a kiss, but to his unspoken relief, Gin didn't do much other than force Tōshirō to look towards his brother.

Aizen had thrown Jūshirō to the ground before he stomped on the younger's head. There was a loud cry of pain as the Ukitake's eyes snapped open.

"J-jūshirō!" Tōshirō squealed as fresh blood stained his brother's face. It was clear that whatever had happened to him back on that lawn was worse than he had thought.

Jūshirō turned to look at his brother before he moved pleading eyes up on Aizen. "Please… D-do what you want with me… Just don't hurt Tōshirō… Please…"

Aizen laughed. "Now, why on Earth would I do such a thing, my sweet Jūshirō-chan?"

Both brothers raised confused eyebrows at Aizen's words. What was he talking about…?

"Such a beautiful little boy like Tōshirō-chan…" Aizen continued on as he ran a hand down Jūshirō's cheek. "Well, he's far too beautiful to _not _hurt. Gin has wanted him from the very first moment he laid eyes on him."

"D-don't…!" Jūshirō tried to pull away from Aizen's hand, but the brunet had something up his sleeve – literally. Jūshirō cried out in pain as a syringe pierced his skin. Tears dripped down his cheeks as he felt his body becoming heavy. "W-what did you… do…?"

"Drugged you, of course." Aizen smiled as he observed the results of his handiwork. "It's more fun when you _know _you can't do anything to stop it."

Jūshirō's eyes widened, understanding what Aizen was hinting at. Tōshirō tried to look away as Aizen moved to kneel between his brother's legs, but Gin made sure the white-haired boy had a perfect view.

Tōshirō could only watch in disgust as his pure brother was defiled by scum like Aizen.

**-XX-**

Shunsui wasn't stupid by any means. Lazy, of course, but not stupid. He already knew who had attacked and kidnapped the brothers. Aizen and his gang had been far too quiet since they had attacked Byakuya.

He had rounded up every person he could think of that would be willing to help him fight to save Jūshirō – the police wouldn't do anything about it because, as much as they denied it, they feared the power of Aizen.

So now, as Shunsui surveyed everyone sitting in his living room, he went over his plan with them. There was Kira Izuru, a victim of Gin's attacks who was willing to get back at him.

Then there was Komamura Sajin, a brunet who wasn't above sicking his tamed wolves on someone who gave him trouble. Iba Tetsuzaemon, a long-time friend of Sajin accompanied him.

Hisagi Shuuhei, who had a personal history with Kaname Tosen, was ready to crack some skulls.

Zaraki Kenpachi and two of his employees, Madarame Ikkaku and Ayasegawa Yumichika were there as well, always up for a fight.

Kurotsuchi Mayuri and his daughter, Nemu, stood by the kitchen, observing everyone who had gathered.

Kotetsu Kiyone and Kotsubaki Sentaro, who considered Jūshirō to be their hero, were ready to do anything to get the white-haired man back.

Byakuya and Rukia stood by Shunsui's side with Ichigo and his group conversing quietly between themselves.

There were even a group of people that, despite Shunsui never having met before apart from Lisa, were willing to help, having a personal vendetta against Aizen. Though they hadn't told him their names, they referred to themselves as the Visored. Lisa wouldn't even give out any names to her once best friend, claiming that what Aizen had done to them was the only reason the others were here.

Shunsui smiled to himself. A pacifist by nature, but mess with the ones he cared about, and all hell would break loose. He knew that despite Aizen having a vast number of gang members, the people who had gathered in this room today would be able to hold their own – without a doubt.


	14. Chapter 14

**A/N This is the last chapter and will be followed by an epilogue. It is a rather disturbing chapter with some of the descriptions, but it is not very graphic. If you would like, skip to the last part of the fic and you can still gather what has happened from there.**

**I apologise if this chapter upsets anyone. I have been hesitant in putting it out for this reason, but I believe the details are important to convey what I want the epilogue to make you feel.**

**Also, as this fic is coming to a close, I would really appreciate a review or two – especially on this chapter as I would like to know if it were too much or not. If it upsets you in any way, please contact me so I can talk to you about it; it's the last thing I'd want to do.**

Tōshirō wasn't sure how much time had passed by; all he knew was that he and his brother had been here for a while and nothing good was going to happen. He had witnessed his brother's daily beatings and rapes, watched as many different people came in and hurt him with knives and swords…

But through it all, Jūshirō had begged and pleaded for his brother to be released. No matter what happened to him, the Ukitake's thoughts were solely on the younger Hitsugaya.

Tōshirō didn't know how much more of this he could take; his trauma had been acting up again, but the one thing that kept him strong was knowing that his brother was in dire need of support and reassurance himself, and if Tōshirō broke down again, who knows what Jūshirō would do.

The Hitsugaya was lucky, though; Gin was the only one who approached him. Whether or not this was because everyone wanted a piece of Jūshirō or Tōshirō was marked as the Ichimaru's property, he wasn't sure. But so far, Gin hadn't done much more than kiss and touch him, bringing him to releases with calloused hands.

Tōshirō was much better off than Jūshirō, who was covered constantly in blood and other mens' semen.

"Maa maa, Shiro-chan…" Gin lifted Tōshirō's face so that the smaller boy was looking him in the eye. "Must ya always stare at him? What's he gonn' do fer ya? Save ya?"

A single tear dripped down Tōshirō's cheek as he tried to ignore the feeling of a hand between his legs.

Tōshirō sobbed quietly at these words. He wanted desperately to be able to stand up for his brother, but it was so hard when all he could remember was his past trauma.

Gin leant down and kissed the tears away in what was a mock-soothing manner. "Ya shouldn' be cryin', Shiro-chan. Save that fer when I actually take ya."

"…How long…?" Tōshirō found himself whispering.

"Eh?" Gin's smile widened. "How long?"

"…How long has it been…?"

"Maa maa, nearin' two weeks." Gin pulled Tōshirō into a hug. He rested his face in the oily hair beneath him. "Of course, we can't always play this gentle together; I just wann' see how long it takes for ya to break, Shiro-chan."

Tōshirō's mind went over to his brother at these words. He remembered how things had been after his father tried to kill him. He remembered the daily battle to try and block his memories out, the way he was terrified of mostly everyone, how he was only able to begin to heal because Byakuya had cared enough to confide his own secret in him. About how his brother had tried two or three times to kill himself ever since and how when they thought they _had _lost him, Byakuya tried to follow…

"No…" Tōshirō heard himself whisper as he balled his hands into fists.

"Oh?" Gin cracked his right eye open and glanced down at the boy in his arms. The white-haired child was looking at his brother.

"…I…" Tōshirō's voice was shaky, but there was an ounce of confidence in it that told Gin he wasn't messing around. "…I won't break again… Not after the last time…"

"Oh, really?" Gin placed the boy on the bed and walked over to the unconscious Jūshirō. "Not even if I do this?"

Tōshirō watched with wide eyes as Gin drew a sword and placed it at the Ukitake's throat. He whimpered a few times before he started to struggle in his binds and shout.

"Don't!" Tōshirō had never fought as hard as he was right now to try and become free from his confines. "Don't you dare! He hasn't done anything to anyone! Leave him alone! All you are is a coward! You like picking on people who can't fight back and then once you've had your fun…! You're a monster! He hasn't done anything to you, and neither have I! Leave us alone!"

Gin's laugh was as cold and unforgiving as the very aura that surrounded him. He sheathed his sword again and walked back to Tōshirō. "I've never seen ya this worked up before, Shiro-chan. It was well worth the performance. Finally startin' ta get a bit of bite in ya. Took ya long enough."

"Just…!" Tōshirō gasped at the emotional strain. "…Leave us alone…! I hate you…!"

Gin laughed before he turned to leave. "I'm sure ya do, Shiro-chan. I'm just goin' out to tell everyone about ya anger problems. Be back soon."

Tōshirō watched as the silver-haired man left the room. He waited for a few more seconds before he started to struggle more than ever. He just couldn't let his brother go through this any longer. If Jūshirō couldn't take care of himself, he had to do _something._

"Jūshirō…" Tōshirō said in a hushed whisper as he pulled against the chains that were wrapped around his hands. "Jūshirō…!"

The Ukitake's eyes opened slowly and blinked a few times before they fluttered shut once again.

"Jūshirō, I…" A steady stream of tears flowed down Tōshirō's cheeks as he took in his brother's battered appearance. "…You tried so hard to help when it was _me, _Jūshirō… You gave everything up just to help me… No matter what happened, you still loved me and wanted to fight for me… You threw away dreams you had chased after your entire life… You put up with me when I could only scream and cry if you came near me… You _loved _me… That's why it's my turn to help _you…"_

Tōshirō whimpered and gasped as he thrashed around, but his efforts were not in vain. He was rewarded with a loud clank as one of the bindings on his wrists came free.

Tōshirō wasn't a religious boy by any means, but he couldn't help but thank God for cutting him a break. Now with one hand free, it was much easier to get the other chains from his ankles.

The Hitsugaya knew that he wouldn't have much luck with his brother's confinement, so the only thing he could hope to do was find a key. He gulped at the mere thought of leaving the room, but once he heard Jūshirō's breathing becoming harsh and strained once again, he knew he had to do it.

"I'll be back to save you…" Tōshirō whispered to the elder just before he slipped out of their prison.

**-XX-**

Ichigo, Matsumoto, Rukia and Renji crept around what was apparently Aizen's base, ready for anything. No matter what had happened in the past, Tōshirō was still one of their best friends and they weren't going to let filth like Aizen put his hands on the boy. And taking Jūshirō as well made everything worse. The Ukitake was one of the sweetest, most loving people you would ever meet and he certainly didn't deserve the life he has lived.

"Makes you wonder how we got a layout of this place if it's supposedly so well guarded…" Renji muttered as they traversed the never-ending corridors.

"Nii-sama told me that someone from the group had been here before," Rukia explained in a hushed tone.

"If that's the case, then how can we trust them to not have lead us into an ambush…?"

"They were a victim, I believe. They had been here for a few weeks as Ichimaru's toy. No wonder they wanted to come."

"Know who it was?" Ichigo asked as he kept a sharp lookout for danger.

"That blond guy, I think," Rukia answered. "Izuru or something."

"But then he – look out!"

For someone who had been keeping such a 'close eye' on things, he hadn't been doing too great a job when he walked into someone just as he turned the corner. He grabbed at the gun that Kenpachi had provided him with, ready to shoot, but a familiar whimper stilled his hand.

"Tōshirō!" Matsumoto ran forward and pulled the naked child into a tight hug. She fought hard to keep herself from crying, not wanting to scare the boy more than he probably already was. "Tōshirō, thank God we found you!"

"J-jūshirō…" Tōshirō whimpered as he struggled in the girl's hold. "Jūshirō is s-still in there!"

Ichigo grabbed Tōshirō's shoulders and turned the boy to face him. Rukia and Renji were standing guard, ready to move the three if they sensed anyone coming.

"Tōshirō, where is he?" Ichigo asked. He had never been so serious with the Hitsugaya before. "Is he okay?"

Tōshirō choked on tears as he shook his head. "H-he's hurt! He's this way!"

"Renji, press the button!" Rukia growled as she grabbed her friend's arm and dragged him after the retreating group. "Let them know we're onto something!"

Renji grabbed the small device that was hidden in his pocket. Mayuri from their group had made this for them, a small device that held a tracker of sorts on a little screen. There was a layout of the building letting you know where you were, and two small buttons. One button was designed to let other devices within a certain range know that you wanted them to come to you, whilst the other button was meant to let others know you were in danger.

Kurotsuchi Mayuri wasn't called the mad scientist for nothing.

It felt like forever before Tōshirō had directed his friends back to what had been his prison cell. Ichigo and the others were horrified by the sight that awaited them when they stepped in. The smell of the room was rancid, and there was the heavy aura of blood, sweat and fear.

Human waste was tucked away in the corners of the room along with urine, letting the small group know that there hadn't even been such a thing as bathroom breaks for the brothers. While Tōshirō's side was free from blood, that was all that could be seen on the Ukitake's side. His bed was covered in it, the dirty cement floor may as well have been repainted red, and even the cement walls had splashes of blood along it. Mixed in with the thick liquid was unmistakably semen.

Jūshirō himself looked as if he were already dead. While he had bordered on emaciated in appearance on a good day, his body was nothing but skin wrapped tightly around bone. Every bone in the man's body could be seen – especially the bones that were _outside _of the body. Blood stained his white hair red, and bruises and deep gashes occupied every last bit of skin on the man's face.

There were deep tears through the man's body, rips that were undeniably savage in nature and should have been stitched up as soon as they were inflicted. However, they had been left open, showing plenty of infectious signs.

One leg looked as if it had been broken in multiple places, and every finger and toe had been crushed. But the thing that really got everyone the most was the way that Jūshirō's skin was stained in not only blood and semen, but urine and waste.

There was nothing any of them could do until someone came to help them, they knew that. It wasn't that they were disgusted with what they were seeing, but Jūshirō had never looked so fragile to the point where they were afraid he would break if they so much as breathed on him.

It didn't take long for Byakuya and Shunsui to come to their side, understandably the first to arrive. Shunsui only had to take one look at his best friend before a murderous aura filled the room. His eyes were wide and his jaw was taut. His whole body shook as he moved slowly to what had once been a man of pride.

"We can't waste any time here, Kyōraku," Byakuya called as he picked Tōshirō up and wrapped his scarf around the boy's bare body. "I'll send the message to everyone to get out as fast as they can."

"Oh, really now?"

Everyone froze at an ice cold voice from behind them.

"How very interesting. How many more of you rats are in here?"

Byakuya turned slowly, holding Tōshirō tight to his chest. He gasped as Aizen and Gin came into view.

"We thought it was very peculiar that Gin should return here, only to find his precious pet missing," Aizen said. He had his hand on the sheathe of his sword. "What do you think, Gin? Still want him, or have you got a few more new pets to play with?"

Gin's smile had not faltered in the least during this interaction, and it only widened at these words. "Well, of course I still want him. None of 'em are up to his standards, however."

"You're so sick…" Shunsui found himself hissing as he struggled to stop himself from charging at them. "What happened to you to have messed you up so much…?"

A glint of amusement shined in Gin's half-lidded eyes. Aizen's grin widened.

Without warning, Shunsui let out a feral growl and charged at the two. There was a loud bang and a cry of pain seconds later.

Byakuya's eyes widened as he pushed Tōshirō's face into his shoulder. He stood up and moved in front of the group of teens, ready to defend his sister with his life. He looked at Shunsui who was lying on the ground, bleeding profusely from his shoulder.

"Why are you doing this?" Byakuya whispered. His body shook. "Why...?"

"Why?" Aizen laughed as he advanced on the group. "You ask why?"

Byakuya watched as Aizen threw the gun to the side and drew his sword. He glared with a hard gaze, not about to be intimidated this time – not when the lives of his family and friends were on the line.

The Kuchiki ducked as the sword was swung, moving he and Tōshirō out of harm's way. He put Tōshirō on the ground before he tackled Aizen.

There was a scuffle, but Byakuya was no match for Aizen. He was knocked to the ground and slashed with the sword.

"You and the faggot can just lay there and watch while I kill these brats." Aizen's voice conveyed his sick enjoyment. "You won't die from those wounds – at least not yet."

Tōshirō was on the ground, watching in terror as the sword was then turned on his friends. He knew that he couldn't let this happen to anyone else – the things that he and his brother had gone through because of these people was a hell in itself. There was no way he would allow his treasured friends to have to suffer as they had.

The Hitsugaya moved so that he was standing in front of the group. He was terrified – who in their right mind wouldn't be? – but he knew that he would rather die than allow harm to befall on these people.

"Touch them and I will kill you..." Tōshirō hissed. He had never been much of a fighter, but his cold voice was enough to allow Aizen to know that he wasn't messing around. "These people are my friends, and you're nothing but trash. The duty of a weapon is to protect and be employed by duty. A sword that is wielded in hatred is just a filthy tool of violence. You just proved that you're nothing but a coward, using a _sword _to cut down those weaker than you."

Aizen laughed. "Oh, really, now? Come, Hitsugaya; look at it this way; we all know that not one person in this room besides myself has any worth."

Tōshirō gasped at these words. He looked at the silver haired man that was standing beside Aizen. "You could say that... about your own subordinates...?"

"I can and I do." Aizen smiled pleasantly. "They are nothing more than tools to me."

"You're okay with this... Ichimaru...?" Tōshirō whispered.

Gin just shrugged, his ever present smile not wavering for a second.

Aizen didn't bother to comment; he instead raised the sword above his head and swung it down towards the child. He wasn't aiming to kill – oh, no; Gin still had use for him – but viciously maiming the child was fine. Besides; he was really aiming for the people behind Hitsugaya.

There were screams and cries from behind Tōshirō, but they only fuelled the boy's desire to protect. With a snarl, the white-haired male charged forward, ducking underneath Aizen's sword as he mustered as much strength as he could and put it all into tackling the brunet.

"Don't touch them!" Tōshirō screamed as he knocked the man to the ground and aimed punch after punch into the elder's face. "Leave them alone! I'll kill you if you hurt them! _I'll kill you!"_

It didn't take much for Aizen to throw the boy off of him, but it was miraculous that he had actually taken damage from someone – a child, nonetheless.

Tōshirō whimpered as he was thrown into the wall opposite him, but he didn't hesitate into getting back onto his feet. He charged again, only to be hit in the stomach with the handle of the sword. He fell to his knees with a cough, but his hatred-filled eyes didn't leave the man's once.

"I'll kill you…" Tōshirō whispered. "You hurt them… I'll kill you… Just leave us alone…"

"This one is out of control." Gin laughed as he stepped in front of Aizen. "Guess he's not goin' ta break any time soon. I migh' as well finish him off, Aizen."

"Do as you will." The smirk that Aizen wore quickly vanished and was replaced by a look of shock as Gin's sword impaled his body. He turned furious eyes onto Gin, unable to speak as his body hit the ground.

"Yare yare…" Gin sheathed his sword as he looked down at Aizen. He snorted as he kicked the fallen brunet's head. "Took a long time but was worth it. That's for what ya did to the one I loved, Aizen."

Tōshirō's eyes were wide, frozen in shock. He couldn't even bring himself to move as Gin approached him.

"Shiro-chan, it's been so fun playin' with ya, but I have ta fly," Gin spoke as he knelt before the child. He placed one last kiss on the younger's lips for good measure before he stood again and turned to leave.

"Wait!" Tōshirō found himself whimpering. He flinched when Gin turned back to him with half-lidded eyes. "…Why… Why did you do that to him…?"

"Because he killed Tosen and would have killed me as well." Gin shrugged. "It's as he said; we're nothing but tools fer him. Besides; I've waited nearly twenty-five years ta kill him fer what he did ta my love…"

With that said, Gin left, leaving so many unanswered questions running through his mind. He collapsed from the stress of everything that had happened, leaving the rest up to his precious friends.


	15. Chapter 15

**A/N This is the epilogue for this fic. I MAY write a sequel to it (a HAPPY sequel), but I'd rather hear your thoughts on how this one went and what you'd want to see happen in a sequel. **

When Tōshirō's eyes opened for the first time since he had fainted, he was rather surprised to find his entire school group and even people he had never met before crowded around his hospital bed. He sat up slowly, blinking at everyone.

"You're awake!" Matsumoto squealed as she bounded forward and hugged Tōshirō tight, pressing him against her large breasts. "You've been out for a few days! We're all so happy you're back with us, Tōshirō-kun!"

"Yeah, Tōshirō; you really had us all worried!" Ichigo laughed as he moved to stand beside Matsumoto. "Never do that to us again, okay?"

Tōshirō found himself laughing despite the situation. "Okay. Ichigo, who are these people?"

"They all came to help rescue you." Orihime approached next. "There were so many people who wanted to come along – they all cared about you and Ukitake-san, even though they had never met you."

Tōshirō blinked in confusion. If they didn't know him… Then why on _Earth _would his safety matter to them...?

"Did they know Jūshirō?" Tōshirō asked, trying to understand things better.

One of the men standing by the back of the hospital room chuckled. Tōshirō didn't know how to explain him other than _weird _going by the strange feather-like things he had that reminded the boy of a peacock.

"I think most of us knew your brother," peacock-man spoke, "but even the ones who didn't know him personally were pretty close with Shunsui or Byakuya. Well, at least as close as you can actually _get _to the Kuchiki."

Tōshirō smiled. He looked around for Rukia, wanting to ask her if her brother was okay, but she was nowhere in sight.

"Where's Rukia?" Tōshirō asked Ichigo.

"She's in Byakuya's room," Ichigo explained, reaching out to pet Tōshirō on the head as if he were a dog. He grinned at the frown that plastered itself to the younger's face. "Byakuya's totally fine but the doctors want to keep him here for a bit longer just to be sure."

"What about my brother?" Tōshirō questioned. "And Shunsui?"

"Kyōraku-san milked his injury for all it was worth at first," Orihime started, "but that was until the nurses got sick of him and kicked him out of the hospital bed. He's with Ukitake-san now. Ukitake-san… isn't doing well physically, but the doctors are saying that the mental damage is relatively minor considering everything that had happened. They're saying that it could have been so much worse, but Ukitake-san is fighting strongly."

"He'll… be okay, right?" Tōshirō found himself whispering.

"The nurse thinks so." Ishida, Chad and Renji stepped forward from the crowd. "They say that as long as he continues to see his psychologist, he'll make a remarkable recovery. He's been pining for you, so wait until he hears that you're awake. He'll be so happy."

Tōshirō grinned. He was ecstatic that Jūshirō would be okay. However, one thing he had neglected to realise until he thought about how badly off his brother should be was that considering everything that had happened to him in his short life, he should have been traumatised just like he had been all those years ago – not sitting here, grinning and joking around as if he were the happiest person in the world.

Maybe – just maybe – his true strength had finally been brought out due to finally being the protector instead of the protectee.

**-XX-**

Jūshirō sipped at his water slowly before he tried to go back to eating the soup that had been prepared for him. His throat had suffered a lot of damage during those weeks back, and it was hard for him to swallow, but with Shunsui beside him and gently encouraging him to eat, he knew that he had to if he wanted to recover.

"Doing great, Ju-chan." Shunsui smiled as he patted his friend's shoulder gently. He understood when the body beneath his hand quivered, but he also understood that despite his body's reactions, physical touch was something Jūshirō needed in order to recover. He knew the younger well enough to know this. "Just eat a bit more and then you can have a rest."

Jūshirō nodded and slowly raised the spoon to his lips again as best as he could with healing fingers. It was a struggle swallowing the tiny amount of soup he had in his mouth, but he finally won.

"Can I eat the rest later…?" Jūshirō rasped. "…I'm… tired…"

Shunsui gave a sad smile as he nodded. He reached over and took the bowl from the younger. "Sure."

Jūshirō smiled back and carefully lay down on the soft mattress. He fussed with his pillow, trying to find a position that wouldn't hurt his already-aching neck before he closed his eyes and fell asleep.

The nightmares were expected and, of course, tormented Jūshirō in his sleep, but he found that once he had awoken in a cold sweat, barely stifling a scream before realising that a small warm body was nestled against him, he had been able to sleep peacefully without vivid dreams playing through his mind.

Once Jūshirō had steadied his breathing and pulled his brother closer to him, he smiled. He wasn't sure when or why Tōshirō was here, but with his presence and Shunsui sleeping in the chair by the bed, the Ukitake had the best sleep he could have possibly had during a time of trauma.

**-XX-**

Byakuya's eyes travelled over the page he was reading slowly as he listened to Rukia chat away about random things. He smiled inwardly, grateful for the girl's presence. There was something he had wanted to say for a while now, and while Rukia and he were alone for the time being, there was no better time to say it.

"Rukia." Byakuya put the book down in his lap and glanced at his sister.

"Yes, Byakuya-nii-sama?" Rukia quickly stopped talking at her brother's voice. It wasn't every day Byakuya sounded as if he were about to burst with joy.

"I have wanted to say this for a while now, but there have been too many people in and out of the room for me to say it. But… First of all, I just want to tell you how happy I am to be called nii-sama by you, and second of all… I'm just glad you're okay. I was honestly scared for you back then, but I couldn't let anything happen to you. I… I love you… Rukia…"

Rukia's eyes shined with unshed tears as she left her seat and wrapped her arms around her brother. Her smile widened as she felt weak arms encase her in return. She couldn't help but climb onto the hospital bed and crawl into her brother's lap as their embrace became deeper and more meaningful.

"…Having said that, I'm glad to hear that Tōshirō and Ukitake are going to make full recoveries, too." Byakuya whispered, not wanting to ruin the moment as he rested his chin on black hair. "I think – in a way – this was good for Tōshirō. He's learnt how to stand up for himself now. I think… that despite what has happened… This will only prove to be a new beginning for them both…"


End file.
